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Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Once I Wake Up" by Sam Tunkel

by Bob Makin

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Once I Wake Up" from "The Sting of the Blade," the recently released sophomore full-length from Central Jersey singer-songwriter Sam Tunkel.



 

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Broadcast Legend Sid Mark to be Remembered at Ocean Grove Event on June 7th

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Sid Mark, the popular and iconic radio host, sadly passed away four years ago, on April 18th, 2022. Sid’s son Brian Mark, Executive Producer of Orange Productions' nationally syndicated radio program The Sounds of Sinatra with Sid Mark, will be a very special host/guest speaker, at a musical event which will highlight the legacy of his father and celebrate the 70th Anniversary of The Sounds of Sinatra broadcast program.



Daily Edition 04-17-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!



Armor For Sleep Announce Summer Tour

Seminal New Jersey-bred post-hardcore band Armor For Sleep have announced their upcoming summer tour spanning June and July. Kicking off on Thursday, June 11 in Richmond, VA at The Canal Club, the There Is No Summer Tour will feature support from Flycatcher and Spanish Love Songs in all markets and culminate in an appearance at the Amityville Music Hall in Amityville, NY on Sunday, July 12, 2026.



bergenPAC's Performing Arts School to Hold Auditions for "Annie"

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- This summer, bergenPAC's Performing Arts School will light up the Taub Stage with the beloved Broadway classic Annie, running July 31 through August 2, 2026. Auditions for the production will be held on Wednesday, May 13th from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. Digital audition submissions will also be accepted now through May 13th. Callbacks will be on May 20th from 4:00pm to 9:00pm.










EVENT PREVIEWS

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Long Island University's Post Theatre Company presents "Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical"

(NEW YORK, NY) -- In collaboration with legendary rock band FOREIGNER, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Long Island University's Post Theatre Company have announced the creative team and performance schedule for the first production of Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical. The show will take place at the Little Theatre on LIU's Brookville campus, where it will play eleven performances beginning Friday, April 17, 2026, through Sunday, April 26, 2026.


Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium

(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Killer Queen, the award-winning UK-based Queen Tribute featuring the incredible Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. The group's ambitious twelve-week 2026 US Tour runs from April 16 to October 23. 


Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR

(RED BANK, NJ) -- Count Basie Center for the Arts presents Melissa Etheridge: RISE TOUR on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals, Etheridge has remained one of America's favorite female singers for more than two decades. A limited number of tickets remain for the show.


The Chatham Playhouse presents "The Drowsy Chaperone"

(CHATHAM, NJ) -- The Chatham Community Players presents the musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone weekends from April 17 to May 2, 2026. Featuring music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar, this is a fast-paced musical comedy that bursts to life with outrageous characters and catchy, clever tunes to deliver a family-friendly, heartfelt tribute to the golden age of Broadway.


Cumberland Players presents "The Last Five Years"

(VINELAND, NJ) -- Cumberland Players presents The Last Five Years across two weekends from April 17-26, 2026. An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.







LATEST FEATURES

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Victoria Clark, Norm Lewis, Tony Yazbeck, Rashidra Scott, and Lea DeLaria to Perform at George Street Playhouse Gala
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse (Christopher J. Bailey, Scott Goldman, and Laiona Michelle, Artistic Producing Triumvirate; Edgar Herrera, Executive Director) have announced the performers for their 2026 Gala Benefit, taking place on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. The evening will begin with a champagne reception and dinner at Stage Left/Catherine Lombardi followed by a cabaret and awards presentation at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.



The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music festival Takes Place This Weekend in AC

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- The 17th annual Elephant Talk Indie Music Festival will take place at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City from April 17-19, 2026. The festival features performances from over 70 acts.




Hey Bulldog to Pay Tribute to The Beatles at Liberty Science Center

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Hey Bulldog will perform a tribute to The Beatles in the Planetarium at Liberty Science Center on Thursday, April 30, 2026 from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. Come see one of the area's best Beatles cover bands perform some good old fashioned no fuss rock and roll!




New Release Review - "Thrash"

If the premise of Thrash sounds familiar you might have run across the movie when it was announced back in 2024 under its original title "Beneath the Storm." Or perhaps in 2025, when it was retitled "Shiver" and set for a theatrical release in August of that year. Now the movie has been renamed once again and its cinema release scrapped. Sony have sold it off to Netflix, who have dumped it on their platform with all the ceremony of an unwanted goldfish being flushed down a toilet.




McCarter presents Steven Mackey's "Memoir"

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- McCarter Theatre Center, in partnership with the Department of Music at Princeton, is thrilled to present MEMOIR, a theatrical musical work by GRAMMY Award-winning composer and William Shubael Conant Professor of Music Steven Mackey, and director Mark DeChiazza. Performances take place at the Berlind Theatre on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 2:00pm.




Grunin Center for the Arts presents The Brit Pack on Saturday

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Grunin Center for the Arts presents The Brit Pack on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. They are the most authentic British Invasion experience this  side of the Atlantic.  Limited tickets remain.




The Growing Stage presents their 2026 New Play-Reading Festival

(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents their 2026 New Play-Reading Festival from April 23-25, 2026 at The Historic Palace Theatre. The festival presents four unpublished and unproduced Theatre for Young Audiences scripts. This year features works by Samara Siskind, Martin Follose, Grace Ward & Elke Myers, and Jeff Jenkins.




"1776" at Paper Mill Playhouse is Outstanding

​​​​​​​There are many celebrations setting up to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse joins in as they present the Tony Award winning show 1776. This is a perfect pick for the occasion because the show takes us back to the days of the Second Continental Congress as they write and approve the Declaration of Independence. Our school textbooks rarely went into any depth about what was going on inside the meeting room. This musical gives you an idea of what might have occurred as the human side of the events are presented.










UPCOMING EVENTS

Vivid Stage presents "Etiquette"

Friday, April 17, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Oakes Center
Summit, NJ
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




LATEST COLUMNS
"I'm doing good man, what's happening?" Laughed a very energized Alastair Greene as he discussed his upcoming April 30 show at Tuckerton's Lizzie Rose Music Room and his new EP, "Live in Sin City" as well as his thoughts on touring overseas. 



Comedy Shows This Weekend: April 16-19, 2026

Here's a look at comedy shows taking place across the state from April 16-19, 2026. New Jersey Stage compiles this list from comedy clubs, casinos, and performing arts centers. You can send information on shows to infoatnewjerseystage.com for consideration in future columns.



Lighty's Corner: April 13, 2026

I’m one of those guys who hates it when people say that rock and roll is dead. That there’s no good new music today. I actually think there may be more good music now than ever, but it’s just harder to find. Since we get a ton of new music sent to us at New Jersey Stage each week, I decided to try something new - a recorded DJ hosted radio show and a column spotlighting new works. The plan is to have a new one every two weeks.


* Events This Week in New Jersey

* This Week in Music

* This Week in Theatre

* Top 15 Most Read Stories
from the Past Week



DAILY EDITION

Daily Edition 04-17-26

Here is a look at the articles published on Thursday. The Daily Edition will be back on Monday with a recap of the articles published over the weekend.


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