T. CHARLES ERICKSON
Jasmine Forsberg and Benji Santiago co-starred in “I & You: The Musical” at The McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton.
The newyorktheater.me website recently published an article that is titled “10 Big Theater Stories of 2025.” The first two items are the list are “The Federal War on Culture and the Arts” and “The Affordability Crisis in Theater.” I was almost expecting No. 3 to be “Not Enough People Go to the Theater Anymore.”
Yes, this wasn’t a great year for theater, on some levels. And yet … New Jersey’s theaters and theater companies remained committed to artistically adventurous, high quality work. I saw lots of great stuff throughout the year, and the first four entries on my Top 12 list, in particular, felt like revelations: works that were really unlike anything I had seen before.
ANDREA PHOX
Becca Suskauer and Harris Milgrim in “How My Grandparents Fell in Love” at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch.
I must add that I can’t say definitively that these shows represent the best that New Jersey offered this year: They’re just the best that I saw. I obviously didn’t see everything, in every theater: I’m sure there were lots of great shows that I just couldn’t get to.
I am not a full-time theater critic — New Jersey doesn’t currently have one, unfortunately, due to the economic realities of the state’s media landscape — but I get to as much as I can, and do see a lot, over the course of a year. And I do think it’s worthwhile to share some of my thoughts about the shows I liked the most.
So here are my Top 12, in order of preference. Click on the titles to read the full reviews.
1. “I & You: The Musical” at Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton. Lauren M. Gunderson’s “I and You,” the play, has been produced widely since premiering in 2013. This new version, with a book by Gunderson and new songs by Ari Afsar, should fare just as well. It was a head-spinner, starting with the mundane realities of the lives of two modern high school students (played by Jasmine Forsberg and Benji Santiago) but taking a life-affirming turn toward the cosmic in an ending that had to be seen to be believed.
T. CHARLES ERICKSON
Okieriete Onaodowan in “The Monsters: A Sibling Love Story,” at Two River Theater in Red Bank.
2. “The Monsters: A Sibling Love Story” at Two River Theater, Red Bank. Two estranged siblings re-connect, deal with their difficult shared past and struggle to re-bond with each other in Ngozi Anyanwu’s Philadelphia-set play. Big (Okieriete Onaodowan) is a mixed martial arts champion; Lil (Aigner Mizzelle) is his troubled sister, whom he takes under his wing. These roles are physically demanding as well as psychologically complex, and the actors were up to the challenge.
3. “How My Grandparents Fell in Love” at New Jersey Repertory Company, Long Branch. This new musical, written by Cary Gitter (book and lyrics) and Neil Berg (music and lyrics) and inspired by the real-life story of Gitter’s grandparents, is mostly set in 1933, in Poland. Antisemitism is rampant, World War II looms — and Charlie, Polish-born but currently living in The United States, courts Chava, a hat store employee who intends to become a college professor. It was small in scale — just two actors and an onstage pianist — but it delivered mightily, with hummable songs, charming performances by Becca Suskauer and Harris Milgrim, and some sociopolitical relevance for our own troubled times.
4. “Queen of the Mist” (musical-in-concert version), presented by Peak Performances at Kasser Theater at Montclair State University. Michael John LaChiusa built this musical around an obscure historical character: Annie Edson Taylor, a 63-year-old former schoolteacher who took a ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel, and survived. Mary Testa played Edson when the musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2011 and returned to the role here, giving a larger-than-life performance and helping to turn Testa’s unusual story into a universally resonant one.
EVAN ZIMMERMAN FOR MURPHYMADE
Hillary Fisher in “The Little Mermaid.”
5. “The Little Mermaid” at Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn. Paper Mill Playhouse’s current production, “Frozen,” is running through Jan. 11, and well worth seeing. But back in May and June, the theater presented this show — another Disney favorite, featuring beloved songs such as “Kiss the Girl,” “Part of Your World” and “Under the Sea” — and I thought this production transferred the magic of the big screen original to the stage a little more effectively.
6. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” presented by Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey at F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre at Drew University, Madison. The success of a production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” depends largely on the actors’ ability to makes Oscar Wilde’s witticisms seem naturally delivered, by characters who just happen to speak in bon mots. The cast here — including Christian Frost as the playfully caddish Algernon Moncrieff, and Marion Adler as his monumentally stern and condescending aunt Lady Augusta Bracknell — did just that, as well as I’ve ever seen it done.
7. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” at Bell Theater at Bell Works, Holmdel. Powerhouse performances by Remember Jones (as tortured, larger-than-life rock ‘n’ roller Hedwig) and Hannah Bonnett (as Hedwig’s frequently belittled but ultimately triumphant spouse/manager) made for a wild and hard-hitting version of John Cameron Mitchell’s thorny, complex and surprise-filled musical.
T. CHARLES ERICKSON
Doug Harris, left, and Blake Morris in George Street Playhouse’s production of “King James.”
8. “King James,” presented by George Street Playhouse at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The title of the play refers to basketball star LeBron James; in a stroke of genius, playwright Rajiv Joseph uses the tumultuous first 13 year of James’ career as the backdrop for a story about the messy lives and up-and-down friendship of two Cleveland Cavaliers fans.
9. “Our Town,” presented by American Theater Group at DMK Black Box Theater at Union Arts Center, and Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge. It is hard to go wrong with Thornton Wilder’s initially unassuming but ultimately shattering masterpiece. But this production was anchored by a memorable performance by Timothy Ware-Hill as the plainspoken but wise and all-knowing Stage Manager — and, as a bonus, served as a timely reminder of what The United States is all about, no matter what year it is.
10. “A Case for the Existence of God” at Luna Stage, West Orange. In Samuel D. Hunter’s cathartic two-hander, two lonely young fathers whose daughters go to the same day care center in Twin Falls, Idaho, form an unlikely friendship (one is a white, straight factory worker; the other, a Black, gay mortgage broker) and help each other cope with the bewildering complications of their respective lives.
11. “Hair,” presented by Vanguard Theater Company at Vanguard Theater, Montclair. The official subtitle of this brash, game-changing ’60s landmark is “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.” And the “tribal” seemed particularly apt in this production: The large, dynamic cast came off not just like a bunch of friends, but like a community that had taken on a personality and a pulsating life of its own.
12. “An Old-Fashioned Family Murder,” presented by George Street Playhouse at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Sally Struthers proved that her comedic chops — including her trademark quavering voice — were still in good form in this fun, campy and satisfyingly twist-filled mystery, written by Tony winner Joe DiPietro (“Memphis,” “The Toxic Avenger,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It”).
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