Top 15 Most Read Stories At New Jersey Stage From January 28 to February 3, 2024



Here’s a look at the top 15 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage from January 28 to February 3, 2024. Each week we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week’s top 15 includes articles from 6 counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Union).

1) Red Wanting Blue to release “Light It Up” – (COLUMBUS, OH) — Indie rock stalwarts Red Wanting Blue have announce their thirteenth studio album, Light It Up, is set for release later this summer via Blue Élan Records. This marks their second album for the boutique Westwood, CA based indie label and the first the band has self-produced. Years of non-stop touring have not only buoyed their ever-growing fan-base across the country but has also helped solidify the relationships within the band; making this new album their most cohesive yet, capturing the camaraderie of a band that’s built its entire career on the road, discovering (and rediscovering) itself one exultant, joyous, communal night at a time and a testament to their enduring musical evolution

2) Nettingham Performing Arts Company presents “Once Upon A Mattress: Youth Edition” – (SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ) — Nettingham Performing Arts Company presents “Once Upon A Mattress: Youth Edition” in the Nettingham Middle School Auditorium from February 2-4, 2024. Music By Mary Rodgers, Lyrics By Marshall Barer, Book By Jay Thompson, Directed by Katherine Decker Lewis, with Music Direction by James Mosser, and Choreography by Samantha Simpson, this production promises a delightful experience. 

3) REVIEW – “Ibsen’s Ghost” at George Street Playhouse – (NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) — George Street Playhouse is presenting the World Premiere of Ibsen’s Ghost, a promising new comedy by Charles Busch. The play deals with the days following the state funeral of Henrik Ibsen when two women are seeking to have memoirs involving the legendary playwright published. The literary legacy of who inspired Ibsen’s legendary characters lies in the balance.

4) Wiener & Joey Skaggs: The Solomon Project screen at the Spring 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, February 9 – From college admissions to court proceedings, the humdrum chores of life can seem grim. What’s one way to make them tolerable? Laughter. In both Wiener and Joey Skaggs: The Solomon Project, comedy is used to ease the tension of everyday affairs while simultaneously bringing to the forefront the issues of our society that collectively weigh us down. 

5) Patrick K. McCluskey joins bergenPAC Board – (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) — The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), a nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick K. McCluskey to its Board of Trustees.  McCluskey, residing in Hasbrouck Heights, has deep community connections and brings valuable leadership and nonprofit experience from his involvement with various nonprofit boards in New Jersey and New York.

6) Prudential Center presents DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic Live!” – (NEWARK, NJ) — DJ Cassidy will bring his critically acclaimed “Pass The Mic Live!” experience to Prudential Center in Newark on Mother’s Day weekend for a sequel to 2023’s sold out Inaugural show. In partnership with SJ Presents’s annual “Mother’s Day Good Music Festival,” the unprecedented lineup will unite seven iconic superstars whose game-changing records and influence transformed Hip Hop, R&B, and Pop culture on a global scale. The one-time-only event will feature live performances by Boyz II Men, TLC, Bobby Brown, Method Man & Redman, Faith Evans, Total, and special surprise guests.

7) WFMU to Host Station’s First Live On-Air Wedding – (JERSEY CITY, NJ) — The first ever live on-air wedding in the 66 year history of WFMU will take place on Friday March 15, 2024 when Miss Yvonne Szymczak becomes the bride of Mr. Charles E. Reutter IV in a ceremony that will be attended by close friends and family at WFMU’s Monty Hall in Jersey City, NJ; and listened to live on the air by many thousands more. The wedding will be broadcast via terrestrial FM signal as well as an online stream, where a live video component will also be available to those wishing to tune in to the nuptials.

8) Exhilarating feature Wild Fire screens at the Spring 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Saturday, February 3! – How do you exhilarate your audience’s spirits while triggering their thoughts for the most pungently realistic questions? Well, that’s a problem Wild Fire beautifully solved.

9) Algonquin Arts Theatre Announces 2024-25 Broadway Series – (MANASQUAN, NJ) — Algonquin Arts Theatre has announced its Broadway Series for the 2024-2025 season, featuring an extraordinary lineup of Broadway hits that promise to transport audiences into the heart of compelling stories, stirring music, and unforgettable performances. The season includes 8 productions.

10) Thunder Road Books to Host Launch Party for “Livin’ Just to Find Emotion” by David Hamilton Golland – (SPRING LAKE, NJ) — Thunder Road Books will hold a launch party for Livin’ Just to Find Emotion by David Hamilton Golland on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 6:00pm. Light refreshments will be served. The book lets fans relive Journey’s greatest songs and moments with this fiftieth anniversary tribute.

11) So You Wanna Dance? “Hairspray” Musical Headed for New Brunswick This Weekend – Hairspray has succeeded as a musical and film because it manages to convey a delightful story about teenage love, weigh discrimination and generational conflict with terrific music and, most importantly, a pretty gripping story about racial discrimination in Baltimore in 1962.

12) Rock On! This Week’s Sound Bites…2/1/24 – “Yes, Saturday February 10; I’ve done this a few times with this group; it has been going for I think about 30 years with different configurations and I’ve been in and out of it over the years but I’ve been a mainstay for the last three years now and it’s just so much fun. We not only do little tiny individual mini-sets but we do a lot of collaborating, a lot of harmony and it’s a really fun show for us,” states singer/songwriter Lucy Kaplansky about the upcoming February 10 “On A Winter’s Night” show at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theater in Long Branch, NJ. “I’ve played there a bunch of times over the years and the good thing about the setup is that everyone can see; it is kind of a clever way to set up a theater and it’s intimate.” 

13) Artist creates a Forty-foot Knitted Flag on view at Liberty State Park in the historic CRRNJ Terminal – (JERSEY CITY, NJ) — Stand/Fall II is a 20-foot by 40-foot knitted flag descending on the unofficially titled “Stairs to Nowhere” at Liberty State Park’s historic CRRNJ Terminal. The site-specific installation created by Jersey City-based artist Woolpunk® warmly welcomes visitors to the Historic Terminal and has become a staple backdrop to those traveling to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

14) Events This Week in New Jersey: January 30 to February 6, 2024 – Here is a look at upcoming events taking place from January 30 to February 6, 2024 along with our featured listings. New Jersey Stage offers previews of events throughout the Garden State as well as select shows in New York City and Philadelphia areas.

15) Teaneck High School drama teacher puts George Bernard Shaw to shame – In his 1905 play Man and Superman, George Bernard Shaw famously included the line “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” This derogatory phrase is often used to denigrate theatre educators who have made the sacrifice to dedicate their careers to students, particularly at a time when arts-focused education is often the first to be cut in budget crises.

Make sure your events are part of our weekly columns by sending press releases to us at info@newjerseystage.com. Event previews are always one of the most popular areas of the website. Event previews get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again when they are brought back to the main area of the site the week the event takes place – sometimes even several months later.  We also run weekly columns promoting events, music, and theatre shows taking place for the week. These columns include our featured event previews and event listings along with all of our event previews of the week. Many times, they are among the most read stories of the week. There is no cost for us to run your press releases!

For even more promotion, check out our ad rates which run $50-$100 for an entire month of targeted advertising and includes events listed in our online calendar. Or you can have your events listed in the calendar for $10 per event. Either way your events will be featured in the weekly columns. NJ Stage keeps our rates low so they are affordable to arts organizations of all sizes.