Your plans for a day out in New Jersey wouldn’t be complete without exploring the theatre scene. Nestled in some of the most charming towns in the Garden State are great entertainment venues. Take a stroll in a nearby bucolic park, savor a meal at a downtown restaurant, and enjoy a top-notch show. There are new musicals, mysteries, classics and comedies. We have rounded up some of ones you may want to see.
Bull Durham at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn – 10/2 to 11/2. The musical brings the classic 1988 film to the stage. Veteran catcher “Crash” Davis is tasked with mentoring hotshot rookie pitcher “Nuke” LaLoosh, while baseball muse Annie Savoy must choose her seasonal protégé. Visit: The Official Site of Paper Mill Playhouse
Walden at Premiere Stages in Union – Now through 9/21. After returning from a successful mission to the moon, NASA scientist Cassie’s reunion with estranged twin sister Stella reignites old conflicts, forcing the sisters to choose between life on Earth or pursuing a future in space. Visit: Premiere Stages – The Professional Theatre Company at Kean – Premiere Stages
I & You: The Musical at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton – Now through 10/12. Caroline, stuck at home with an illness, and Anthony, an earnest overachiever toting Walt Whitman and waffle fries, are classmates pulling an unexpected all-nighter. What starts as a reluctant assignment soon sets both their worlds spinning into a soul-searching exploration of fate, friendship, and the fragile wonder of being alive. Visit: McCarter
An Old Fashioned Family Murder at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick – From 10/4 to 11/2. On a dark and stormy night, a once-grand estate becomes the stage for a chilling crime in this razor-sharp comic mystery. When a pompous writer spills a family secret—tensions turn to murder and every guest is a suspect. A sharp-eyed widow, a smooth-talking fiancé, a jealous daughter—no one is who they seem, and everyone has something to hide. Secrets unravel, betrayals come to light, and Mrs. Peck’s motherly instincts might just outmatch the detective’s. Visit: George Street Playhouse
Can’t Run, Can’t Dance at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch – Now through 11/5. Two women with checkered pasts get drawn into a smuggling operation run by two unhinged brothers with unpredictable hilarious results. Visit: HOME – New Jersey Repertory Company
Murder on the Links at Two River Theater in Red Bank – Now through 11/5. Take a swing at cracking the case! When Agatha Christie’s famed detective Hercule Poirot is summoned to a country chateau in France, he discovers a body on the golf course with a knife in its back – a hole in one indeed! New clues dredge up old intrigue in Murder on the Links. Visit: Two River Theater
A Night with Janis Joplin at Bell Theater at Bell Works in Holmdel – From 10/3 to 10/19. The Queen of Rock ‘n Roll, as Joplin was dubbed, took the music scene by storm with a voice like whiskey and a laugh like pure joy, at once rough and vulnerable. Packed with classic songs (“Piece of My Heart,” “Summertime,” “Mercedes Benz”), the show also shines the spotlight on the trailblazers who influenced Joplin like Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Etta James and Aretha Franklin.? Visit: Bell Theater at Bell Works
Romeo & Juliet at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison – Now through 10/5. Set in a time of deadly civil division, Shakespeare’s masterful tragedy continues to hold up a heartbreaking mirror to our world. In a society ravaged by hate and violence, two young people unexpectedly find love. Their youthful passion shines a light of hope against the pernicious and poisonous enmity of their families. Visit: Shakespeare NJ
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical at The Growing Stage, The Children’s Theatre of NJ in Netcong – From 10/10 to 10/26. Middle school, ugh. It’s the worst. But Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor, Fregley. Or maybe Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg…no way. Visit: The Growing Stage | The Children’s Theatre of New Jersey
The Supreme Leader at Mile Square Theater in Hoboken – From 10/9 to 10/26. While in boarding school in Switzerland, Kim Jong-Un learns he’s next in line But he must prove himself. Under the watchful eye of his minder, he sets his paintbrush aside to spy on his pretty American friend Sophie. Will “Oony” get the girl? Will he make his father proud? Set in the snow globe world of stinky cheese and mountain climbing, this coming-of-age comedy imagines Kim Jong-Un’s final throes of youth before his fateful return to North Korea. Visit: Mile Square Theatre
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