Brook Arts Center presents comedian Mike Marino

(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company will present Robin Gerber’s new play The Shot April 6–23, 2023 in its Studio Theatre. The Shot will star Emmy nominee and Broadway alum Sharon Lawrence (Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof). Michelle Joyner will direct the production. Inspired by the...

(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- As part of Raritan Valley Community College’s celebration of Black History Month, playwright Francisca Da Silveira will speak during a virtual event on Tuesday, February 14 at 1:00pm. The event, which is free of charge and open to the community, will be held via Zoom. Francisca...

(LONG BRANCH,NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company has announced a new performance series, One Night Stand. These special engagements are an eclectic array of fun, one-night-only, engagements. One Night Stand compliments the already robust offerings from New Jersey Repertory Company, including a Monday Night Salon Reading Series, an Annual Subscription Series, a month-long Pride Festival, a one-act-play Theatre Brut Festival, and on-going art and photography exhibits at their West End Arts Gallery.

What, at first glance, may seem like a senior citizen’s decorative hat collection try-on haul video, is actually so much more. Pratt in the Hat (2021), directed by Susan Hillary, is a beautiful, 14-minute documentary about the inspiring, service-oriented life of Dr. Frances Pratt (otherwise known as Dr. Hat, Hat Frat, and the Pratt in the Hat), who is as poised and charming as her 100+ flowered, feathered, lacy, sequin-covered, rhinestone-covered hats that come in every color. Dr. Pratt is the President of Nyack’s chapter of the NAACP and she is the first black, head nurse of the Nyack Hospital Emergency Room. In this documentary, Dr. Pratt tells us about the importance of solidarity, education, voting rights, and, subliminally, fashion as we admire lovely, still photographs (taken by Susan Hillary, Dorice Arden, and Joe Zakko) of Dr. Pratt in her hats and matching outfits.

What happens when life imitates art too literally? Lots of drama. Two River Theater is presenting the world debut of “Living & Breathing,” a world premiere play by Mando Alvarado. This new play examines the world of high art, racial identity, and a friend group that’s ready to buckle. Jersey Arts goes to rehearsal in Red Bank to learn more from the team behind this new show.

(MANASQUAN, NJ) -- Algonquin Arts Theatre is presenting Broadway Bound by Neil Simon from January 20 through January 29. This is the poignant and funny conclusion of the semi-autobiographical Eugene trilogy following Brighton Beach Memoirs (2020) and Biloxi Blues (2021). Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos. Eugene...

(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- The American Theater Group (ATG), a professional regional theater company celebrating its 11th season, has announced it will present Parade, the Tony Award-winning musical at the Maurice Levin Theater at the JCC MetroWest in West Orange, NJ from March 9-11. As previously announced, the show will begin its run March 2-5 at the Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge.

Michael Hegarty as Alfred P. Doolittle and The Company © Jeremy Daniel. Sami Murphy, veteran actress, is back in a huge play yet again, this time in My Fair Lady. She’s not the star, but a co-star who appears as numerous different characters in the show. You see her again and again and again.

(CRANFORD, NJ) -- On the latest Cranford Radio podcast, Bernie Wagenblast interviews Zach Mazouat (who plays Andy Aquecheek) and director Susan Speidel, about the production of Twelfth Night which will be presented by the Cranford Dramatic Club between February 10-25. Twelfth Night is one of William Shakespeare’s comedies and it...

(UNION, NJ) -- Two new family-friendly, sensory-inclusive shows have been added to Kean Stage’s Spring 2023 season at Kean University’s Wilkins Theatre in Union, NJ. Pirate School: Sea Dreams, a madcap, swashbuckling solo variety show created and performed by veteran New York physical comedian and actor David Engel, comes to Kean University on Sunday, March 5 at 1:00pm. During Pirate School: Sea Dreams the bumbling pirate professor Billy Bones, played by David Engel, teaches youngsters the finer points of light-hearted mischief. The audience partakes in riotous, joyful competitions that rattle the rafters and zany lessons on how to stand, talk, sing and laugh like jaunty Buccaneers. Featuring an original cartoon-like sound effect and musical score, eye-popping puppetry, eccentric props, adept magic, slapstick swordplay antics, a misbehaving cannon, a talking skull and the world’s only wearable pirate ship, Pirate School! is truly a treasure to discover!

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- An all-star cast visited Essex, Union, Hudson, and Passaic Counties for the filming of the upcoming multigenerational romantic comedy Maybe I Do. Produced by Endeavor Content, the movie follows Michelle and Allen, who have reached the point in their relationship where they are considering next steps. They decide to invite their parents to finally meet and offer their insights about why marriage works. Turns out, the parents already know one another quite well, which leads to some differing opinions about the value of matrimony. Maybe I Do is produced by Michael Jacobs, Scott Mednick, and Vincent Newman and will be released in theaters on January 27.

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center presents HAN!, an intimate story of Korean culture told through dance and dialogue. The performance features an ancient dance under a neon light. A virgin ghost stares out of the TV. A baby left alone in an apartment meditates on the nature of solitude. A woman explores memories of her life in relation to the Korean concept of Han. The show is in Korean with English subtitles performed by Hyun Ju Baek. These events are co-presented by Jersey City Theater Center in partnership with Theatre No Theatre, Teatro Della Toscana, Polish Cultural Institute NY, Korean Cultural Institute and Korea Society.

(MADISON, NJ) -- Vivid Stage will take improv on the road to the Madison Community Arts Center on Friday, February 3 at 8:00pm. THE FLIP SIDE, Vivid’s house improv team, features Brad Barton, Clark Carmichael, Laura Ekstrand, Noreen Farley, Lulu French, Dave Maulbeck, Scott McGowan, Becca McLarty and Emaline Williams. This unpredictable evening is an affordable, enjoyable evening that is packed with laughs from start to finish.

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- "Yes," The GIG USA, LLC creator and Executive Producer Nicholas Koontz firmly predicts, "The GIG USA is single-handedly reviving the live album recording concept for today's fans and audience, and we're going to give them more than they've ever received from a concert performance, in more ways than one!"

(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Vogel presents New Jersey bluegrass-influenced Americana band Railroad Earth on Thursday, March 23 at 8:00pm. Tickets range from $39.50 to $49 and are on sale now. A brother leaves this world too soon. A trip down U.S. Highway 61 ends in a deluge of biblical...

(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- From Valentine’s Day programs, to star shows and laser concerts, to a special offering and exhibit in honor of Black History Month, the Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium in Branchburg will offer a plethora of entertaining and educational events in February. The following shows have been...

(NEWARK, NJ) -- All hail the queen! Sasha Velour: The Big Reveal Live Show makes it way to Newark on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 8:00pm in NJPAC's intimate Victoria Theater. Sasha Velour is a gender-fluid drag queen. Her first book, The Big Reveal, An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag, will be published April 2023 with Harper.

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- It is often said that art inspires more art. That is certainly true for Kelvin and Corrine Slade, father-and-daughter artists featured in SLADE: A Family Affair, an exhibition at The Herb + Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC, on display from January 26–March 5. Kelvin, who takes photographs of Jazz performers, has an undying love for the musical genre, while Corrine taps into her admiration for Jazz when creating comforting abstract environments in her oil paintings. In celebration of Black History Month, this exhibit portrays the influence that Black music, particularly Jazz, has had on the artists.

(NEWARK, NJ) -- The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents PILOBOLUS Big Five-Oh! on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 7:00pm. The celebratory program is a milestone in fifty years of groundbreaking dance from the uniquely feisty arts organism. PILOBOLUS puts the “Oh!” in Big Five Oh!, deliberately questioning its own givens, and turning its traditions sideways to bring its past into the future. As fresh and vibrant as ever are signature works from vintage classics to trend-setting innovative work in shadow.

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- In honor of Black History Month, Studio Montclair, Inc. presents “Rhythm & Blues,” their first exhibition of the new year. Celebrating the intersection between music and art in its many permutations, the exhibit examines the visual artist’s perceptions of the rhythm and blues musical traditions. Included are paintings, drawings, mixed media, electronic, and digital art. The exhibition runs from February 2 – March 10, 2023.