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CurtainUp in New Jersey
NEW JERSEY CONNECTIONS
NJ TheatersNJ Theatre Alliance Discount Tix Information |
As my duties and assignments as a theater reviewer include all Broadway, most Off-Broadway and many Off-Off Broadway shows, my coverage of New Jersey theatres is limited to those that have been a regular part of my beat. I will, nevertheless, post information about up-coming shows worth checking out and mini-reviews of some I manage to catch but don't have time to review in more detail. Once a show we've reviewed closes, it will migrate to our Master Index of All Shows Reviewed at CurtainUp (Master Index) so that the review will still be available for reference. The little box headlined NEW JERSEY CONNECTIONS, includes besides a link to my own annotated list of area theaters, links to the NJTheatre Alliance website and its information regarding special programs and services, as well as several other websites you may find helpful.
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Current Reviews & Features
RedBoeing-Boeing
The Convert
New & Noteworthy February-March
Macbeth (March 16 – April 1) Ambiguity, secrecy, twisted prophecy and ambition collide as characters hurtle towards their own delusion and destruction in Shakespeare’s tragedy in which the darkest of human desires forge a most unhappy alchemy where fair is foul and foul is fair. Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU. West Side Theater, 285 West Side Avenue, Jersey City, NJ. (201) 200 - 2390
The Ladies Man (February 17 – March 4) This is a rarely revived farce from the pen of George Feydeau set in Belle Epoque Paris in which “one, tiny, little, hardly noticeable lie” to cover an innocent but embarrassing indiscretion results in a cascade of increasingly convoluted deceptions, mistaken identities and more slamming doors than realistic architecture should ever accommodate. Centenary Stage Company in residence at Centenary College, 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 (908) 979 - 0900
The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed with the Blues (February 16 – 26) This one-man-show written and performed by blues virtuoso Guy Davis spins the tale of the mythical Fishy Waters, an itinerant blues man journeying through 1930s America. Blending original and traditional blues, it follows an endearing character as he seeks work and comfort amidst the incessant hardships of life. Look for CurtainUp review shortly after opening. Crossroads Theatre Company, 7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 545 - 8100
Red (January 31 – February 26) See link to CurtainUp review on this site’s home page. George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, (732) 846 - 2895
Twelve Angry Men – (March 13 – April 8). Before there was “Law and Order,” “Perry Mason” or “Matlock” there was Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. In an airless room on a blistering summer day, with testimony from two witnesses, this jury’s deliberations should be brisk until a lone juror lights the fuse that will make this “open and shut case” explode like dynamite. Look for CurtainUp review shortly after opening. George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, (732) 846 - 2895
Blood: A Comedy (March 9 – 25) In this whip-smart comedy by David Lee White, an eccentric atheist struggles with confusion and memory loss and decides that the only way to save her mind and her dysfunctional family is for them to get religion. Dreamcatcher Repertory Theater, Baird Center, 5 Mead Street, South Orange, (800) 838-3006
‘Night Mother (February 9 – 26) Jessie tells her mother she plans to commit suicide in just a few hours, setting off a fierce struggle between mother and daughter. Truths are revealed and words that were unspoken for decades are finally uttered in Marsha Norman’s explosive Pulitzer Prize- winning drama. The Garage Theatre Group, Becton Theatre at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 960 River Road, Teaneck (201) 569-7710
Reparation (February 9 – March 11) This is the world premiere of Gino DiIorio’s play about an investment banker who likes to play the race card and finds himself out of options and out of friends. His last hope is an old flame with a hot real estate venture. He soon learns there are secrets buried beneath the land that will force him to come to terms with the past and determine his own legacy. Luna Stage Company, 695 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042, (973) 744 - 3309
The Convert (January 13 – February 12) This production marks the world premiere of Janai Gurira’s play set in 1985 in the region that would become Zimbabwe. In it, a young village girl escapes a forced marriage by becoming the newest convert of a well-meaning black catechist for the Catholic Church. See link on home page to CurtainUp review. McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton. (609)252 – 2787.
Travesties (March 13 – April 1) This is an early, audaciously witty work by the lauded and popular British playwright Tom Stoppard (Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead, Shakespeare in Love) that spins you into a dazzling medley of literature, philosophy, politics, and history. The wildest revolutionary minds of the 20th century come alive in this funny modern masterpiece. Look for CurtainUp review shortly after opening. McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton. (609)252 – 2787.
Summer in Sanctuary (March 8 – 25) – This autobiographical piece, written and performed by Al Letson, the gifted, nationally known performance poet and host of NPR’s State of the Re:Union, is told through monologue, poetry, song and multimedia. Look for CurtainUp review shortly after opening. New Jersey Repertory Company at the Lumia Theatre, 179 Broadway, Long Branch 07740 (732) 229 – 3166
Damn Yankees (March 7 – April 1) - Joe Boyd loves the Washington Senators baseball team a little too much, so when a devilish dealmaker offers the chance to beat the “damn Yankees” in return for his soul, Joe takes it. But as the Senators’ stats soar, Joe realizes he’s losing his wife and looks for a loophole. Who will win? We’re not telling. Batter up for this grand musical with lyrics and music by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross; book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop. Look for CurtainUp review shortly after opening. Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn. (973) 376 – 4343
Jitney – (January 29 – February 19) This is one of the lesser known gems by August Wilson who is recognized and revered as one of American theatre’s greatest writers and chroniclers of the African-American experience. It is set in a makeshift storefront depot for gypsy cab drivers. The men share stories and gossip, two young lovers fight for their future, and the station owner confronts his long-estranged son. Two River Theater Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ. (732) 345-1400
In This House (March 3 – April 1) Mike Reid (music) Sarah Schlesinger (lyrics) and Jonathan Bernstein (book) are the collaborators for this new chamber musical in which two couples meet and spend an evening together on a wintry New Year’s Eve. Two River Theater Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ. (732) 345-1400
Slings & Arrows-the complete set
You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company
