Our all new, feature Spring musical, “Take Me Away,” transports our audiences to the bustling city of London for a one of a kind, immersive dinner theatre experience! Upon arriving in our dining room, a host of lively street performers will greet you and set the scene as if you are on the bustling streets of Covent Garden, London. When the stage show begins, you will be joined by world-famous sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, and his trusted mate, Dr. Watson, on a hilarious musical quest to solve one of his most baffling adventures… the mystery of love! A mind reader, mysterious countess, and magician are just a few of the suspects in this musical farce. Backed by a live orchestra, our cast of talented actors will sing and dance throughout this laugh-filled, lively show, while audience members may find they hold the clues to solving the mystery right on their own dining room tables!  Book your tickets now for an “overseas” trip of a lifetime and join us for this exciting Playhouse premier! TICKET PRICING INCLUDES SHOW, TABLE-SERVED MEAL, DESSERT BUFFET, COFFEE OR HOT TEA, TAX AND GRATUITY More info

Starring Maureen Silliman By William Luce Directed By Robert Rechnitz JOAN AND ROBERT RECHNITZ THEATER “That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.”—Emily Dickinson Crafted from diary entries, letters, and poems by Emily Dickinson, The Belle of Amherst is a spellbinding and insightful look at the life of one of America’s greatest poets. The production features the return of the beloved actress Maureen Silliman to the Two River stage and will be directed by Two River Founder Robert Rechnitz, who was a Professor of American Literature at Monmouth University for 35 years. More info

“The Sound of Music” comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center April 26 and 27. From MPAC: A new production of the spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony®, Grammy® and Academy Award® winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and the title song. The Hills Are Alive! A brand new production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC is coming to MPAC. The spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony®, Grammy® and Academy Award® winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and the title song.  THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp. Tickets start at $49.

From Hopewell Theater: Join us for our ongoing series This Really Happened… featuring some of the most hilarious and moving storytellers on stage. With a rotating cast of storytellers, the show is always fresh. Audience members can also claim a spot in the show and share a “two-minute tale” at the open-mic at the end of each show, for up to six audience members. Hosted by Joey Novick, each show will be one hour long with no intermission, followed by the open mic segment of “two-minute tales.” March 8, April 5, May 3 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $15

From McCarter Theatre: On Saturday, May 4, 2019, McCarter Theatre Center will host its Annual Gala. The evening raises significant funds for McCarter, enabling the organization to bring world-class performing arts and outstanding education programs to the community. The highlight of the Gala is a feature performance by Grammy® and Tony Award® winning vocalist and actor Leslie Odom, Jr. Best known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, Odom Jr. has “turned the world upside down” with a wide variety of appearances for stage, screen, and television. His heartfelt vocal style and ultra-smooth tenor compliments songs from both musical theatre favorites and jazz standards. McCarter’s Gala will be co-chaired by Michelle and Robert Caruso of Princeton, NJ; Andrea and John Forbes of New York, NY, and Debora and John Haines of Princeton, NJ. McCarter’s Gala is one of the most celebrated events of the season and is the largest fundraising event for the theatre. The evening begins with an elegant cocktail reception followed directly by the performance by Leslie Odom, Jr. in McCarter’s 1100-seat Matthews Theatre. After the concert, guests will return to the tent for dinner and live auction, live entertainment and dancing. Together with Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg, Emily Mann’s […]

Nick, a young, carefree, single Italian-American guy from New Jersey, sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. This routine continues like clockwork until he’s offered a dream job on the West Coast that will take him away from his beloved, but annoying, grandparents. The news of his new job doesn’t go over well with his elders, and the stage is set for a series of schemes on their part to keep Nick from moving across the country. Plans are hatched while games are played throughout “Over The River and Through The Woods,” resulting in a hilarious family friendly comedy of epic proportions. “Loaded with laughs every step of the way.” —Star-Ledger. TICKET PRICING INCLUDES SHOW, TABLE-SERVED MEAL, DESSERT BUFFET, COFFEE OR HOT TEA, TAX AND GRATUITY More info

From Hopewell Theater: Bread and Puppet Present Diagonal Man: Theory and Praxis May 9 in Hopewell Diagonals are created from the leaning power of hurt verticals,” says Peter Schumann, founder and director of Bread and Puppet Theater, which will present their new play, Diagonal Man: Theory and Praxis, at Hopewell Theater on May 9th. We inhabitants of Western modernity are no strangers to verticality, from the architecture of our cities, to the “ladder(s) of success” we’re asked to scale, to the incessant wakefulness required of us, postponing the horizontal pleasures of sleep. Bread and Puppet’s Diagonal Man presents the diagonal as a potent and promising opposition to the dominating verticality of our culture. Puppeteers long ago realized that the most aesthetically radical movements for puppets are diagonals, because these movements are cannot be sustained by human actors or dancers for more than a moment. (Gymnasts upsidedown themselves frequently and with ease, but diagonal positions remain inaccessible without the use of puppet.) Diagonal Man brings all the bewildering, beguiling, and downright funny possibilities and implications of diagonality to life with song, dance, magic, mechanism, and stunning cardboard and paper maché puppets painted in Peter Schumann’s exuberant, slapdash expressionist style. The Bread […]

Jazz pianist turned roots musician, Sam Reider is redefining American music on the accordion. He’ll perform May 10 at 8 p.m. at the Hopewell Theater. Reider, has been featured at Lincoln Center and on NPR, and performed alongside pop stars, jazz and folk musicians ranging from Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Bluegrass mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull to Venezuelan cuatro virtuoso Jorge Glem. For his debut record as bandleader, Too Hot To Sleep, Reider has assembled a “staggeringly virtuosic band” (RnR Magazine) of young acoustic musicians called The Human Hands. Irresistible melodies, fiery improvisation and otherworldly sounds collide in what Songlines Magazine has dubbed a “mash-up of the the Klezmatics, Quintette du Hot Club de France and the Punch Brothers. Tickets: $20-$25

From Hopewell Theater: Join us for a delicious and entertaining Mother’s Day brunch with a performance by O’Neill and Martin. Enjoy a sumptuous buffet with an array of delectable food items while listening to the uplifting tunes! The menu for the Sunday, May 12 brunch is to be announced. A performance only ticket is available. To purchase, select mezzanine seats or call our box office at 609-466-1964 for assistance. Jeannie O’Neill and Thomas Martin have been performing as a duo since 2008, mixing genres and styles to create a wholly individual sound. Their cover set combines elements from Rock, Pop, Country, Folk, Americana, and Blues. Led by the powerful vocals of Jeannie O’Neill, the duo incorporate unique vocal harmonies into a set of fresh, yet recognizable hit songs.

From Hopewell Theater: This film is a part of Hopewell Theater’s ongoing The Art of Living Well series featuring inspiring films, speakers and interactive discussions exploring ways of cultivating serenity, meaning and a deeper connection to one’s self and the world. MANTRA – Sounds into Silence is a feature-length documentary that charts the history, expansion and effect of the new music and social phenomenon of chanting. It focuses on the everyday people who are finding healing and a sense of inner peace by singing mantras together with others just like them, but it also features the artists and musicians who are the focus of this new music-based movement. It’s a film about spirituality not religion, it’s about people reconnecting with their true selves and finding meaning in their lives. As our characters’ stories about their connection to the music unfold, we meet the musicians who have inspired them deeply. Through these encounters, we will discover how Deva Primal & Miten, Krishna Das, Snatam Kaur, Lama Gyurme, Jai Uttal, MC Yogi and others came to this music themselves and to the practice of Kirtan*, and how, over the years, it transformed their lives too.

From State Theatre: THE ILLUSIONISTS – LIVE FROM BROADWAY™ is produced by Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and MagicSpace Entertainment. Conceived by Simon Painter, the show’s creative team also includes executive producer Tim Lawson, director Neil Dorward and creative director Jim Millan. Full of hilarious magic tricks, death-defying stunts and acts of breathtaking wonder, THE ILLUSIONISTS has shattered box office records worldwide and thrilled audiences of all ages with a mind-blowing spectacular showcasing the jaw-dropping talents of five of the most incredible illusionists on earth. Tickets start at $49.

From SOPAC: Recognized as “the queen of kids’ music” (People magazine), Laurie Berkner is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, author, and founder of Two Tomatoes Records, LLC. She has released twelve bestselling, award-winning albums, was the first recording artist ever to perform in music videos on Nick Jr., appeared regularly on the network’s Jack’s Big Music Show, and helped develop the short-form animated musical preschool series Sing It, Laurie! on Sprout TV. Her music videos now appear on Universal Kids’ Sprout House. More information