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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
American Buffalo
New & Noteworthy February and March 2010
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (March 11 – 28) – The fate of four lovers and two royal couples is decided by some mischievous fairies and an enthusiastic group of amateur actors in Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU, West Side Theatre at New Jersey City University, 285 West Side Avenue, Jersey City. (201) 200 - 2390
Loose Knit (February 19 – March 7). Theresa Rebeck’s play, about five women who ask themselves if they really need the opposite sex to make their lives work, first appeared in New York as part of the 1992-93 Second Stage season. At the time, the NY Times called it a " craftily rigged comedy. " Centenary Stage Company, in residence at Centenary College, 400 Jefferson Street, Hackettstown. (908) 979 – 0900
Through the Night (February 11 – 21) Obie Award-winning writer-performer Daniel Beaty (Emergence-SEE!) brings to life the story of an urban community, one man at a time. Set in a health food store, this one-man show (under the direction of Charles Randolph-Wright) uses a unique blend of music, poetry, comedy, and drama to weave a story about the African-American male through the lens of multiple characters. Crossroads Theater Crossroads Theatre Company, Livingston Avenue New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (732) 545 - 8100
Parallel Lives: The Kathy and Mo Show (March 5 – 21) This playfully satirical series of sketches by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy achieved cult status in its long Off-Broadway run and was updated for its revival in 2006. Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, c/o of The Baird Center, 5 Mead Street, South Orange, NJ 07079 (973) 378 – 7754
Enigma Variations (February 11 – 28) This play by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt; translated by Jeremy Sams, follows journalist Erik Larsen as he is offered an unprecedented interview with Abel Znorko, the larger than life author and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Jack Holland reviewed a production in Los Angeles in 1999 for CurtainUp. http://www.curtainup.com/enigma.html The Garage Theatre Group Becton Theatre at Farleigh Dickinson University 960 River Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666 (201) 569 - 7710
Calvin Berger (February 10 – March 14) Inspired by the classic play Cyrano de Bergerac, Barry Wyner has composed a modern day version about a young man stressed out about a nose he can’t hide and a girl he can’t get. It’s about what happens when Calvin gets the star jock to deliver his love notes. Although this " world premiere" production is directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall, the musical was first seen at the Barrington Stage in 2007. Looks for CU review shortly after opening. George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. (732) 246 – 7717
Lyle The Crocodile (February 19 – March 28) Kevin Kling wrote this adaptation of the book by Bernard Waber in which a caviar loving crocodile who loves New York moves into a bathtub and is given chores to do. Growing Stage Theatre: Children's Theatre of New Jersey At the Historic Palace Theatre Route 183 Netcong, NJ 07857 (973) 347 - 4946
American Buffalo (March 9 – 28) In David Mamet’s penetrating battle of friendship versus business, loyalty is tested as three small-time crooks plot the midnight robbery of a buffalo nickel. This production comes to McCarter from Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. It will be directed by Tony Award-nominated August: Osage County actress Amy Morton and stars August: Osage County’s Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts. Look for CU review shortly after opening. McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton 08540. (609) 258 – ARTS
Exposure Time (February 11- March 21) Kim Merrill has set her play during the nascent days of photography. In it, an ambitious woman goes head-to-head with the neurotic Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, to become Britain’s premier photographer. The pawn in their battle was Alice. Read CU review of this world premiere shortly after opening. New Jersey Repertory Company, at the Lumia Theatre, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740 (732) 229 – 3166
Lost in Yonkers (February 17 – March 14) One of Neil Simon’s best plays, it is set during World War II as brothers Arty and Jay are sent to live with their frightfully intimidating Grandma and sweet but mentally slow Aunt Bella. Punctuated by visits from their “gangster” Uncle Louie, this Tony Award winning and Pulitzer Prize winning play stars Rosemary Prinz, as Grandma. Read CU review. Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ 07041 (973) 379 -3636.
Barefoot in the Park (February 9 – 28) Even if Broadway didn’t welcome back a revival of Brighton Beach Memoirs, the plays by Neil Simon remain popular in NJ. Barefoot. . . was his first major hit. About newlyweds Paul and Corie who are just starting their life together in a tiny, fifth floor Manhattan walk-up, the fun starts when they are invaded by Corie’s buttinsky mom and an aging lothario. Two River Theatre Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank 07701. (732) 345 – 1400
Orestes: A Tragic Romp (March 23 – April 11) Anne Washburn has translated and adapted the classic play by Euripides. The war is over, the parents murdered, the palace surrounded and Orestes and Electra await judgment by both Gods and men. Advance word proclaims it " grave yet giddy, fierce yet fun. " This modern adaptation promises to blow more than 2000 years of dust off Euripides. Two River Theatre Company, 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank 07701. (732) 345 – 1400
Doubt (March 5 – March 28) John Patrick Shanley’s play about the conflict between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn over what Sister Aloysius considers inappropriate behavior won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. It never fails to stir up an audience. Women's Theater Company The Parsippany Playhouse at the Parsippany Arts Center 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034 (973) 316 - 3033
In the Heights
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide
