New Jersey Symphony will present “Jaws” in Concert in Red Bank, Oct. 28; in Newark, Oct. 29; and in New Brunswick, Oct. 30.
Here is a roundup of arts events taking place around the state, through Nov. 3.
• The classic movie “Jaws” will be screened as you’ve probably never seen it before — with a live performance of John Williams’ score by the New Jersey Symphony, conducted by Nicholas Hersh — Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. at Prudential Hall at NJPAC in Newark, and Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.
Also coming up:
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
NICKI MINAJ
MUSIC
• The New York hip-hop and R&B radio station Power 105.1 (WWPR-FM) presents its annual Powerhouse concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., with Nicki Minaj — who appeared at the Prudential Center just a couple of months ago, accepting the honorary Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at MTV’s Video Music Awards — heading the bill, and other performers including Kodak Black, Fivio Foreign, Moneybagg Yo, Tems, and SpinKing & Friends.
• The remarkable career of Eric Andersen, a singer-songwriter who got his start in the ’60s Greenwich Village folk scene, was the subject of a 2021 PBS documentary, “The Songpoet,” and an upcoming three-CD album, Tribute to a Songpoet, will compile new and old covers of his songs by Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Rick Danko, Willie Nile, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Janis Ian and others. He’ll perform with backing from his wife, Inge Andersen, on vocals, and Steve Addabbo on guitar at Roy’s Hall in Blairstown, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m.
• Wesley Stace has had a unique career. He started out, in the ’80s, as a singer-songwriter with the stage name John Wesley Harding. He now continues to perform, and write novels, under his birth name, and merges the two interests by hosting multi-artist shows combining readings with music titled Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders. He’ll perform a solo acoustic concert at the Cozy Cabin Concerts series in Green Brook, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m., with a pre-show potluck beginning at 3:15 p.m.
OUMOU SANGARÉ
• Grammy-winning Malian singer Oumou Sangaré performs at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Her new album Timbuktu — her seventh since her 1989 debut, Moussoulou — was recorded largely during the COVID lockdown. “Since 1990, I’ve never had a chance to cut myself off from the world and devote myself exclusively to music,” she has said. “If you look at it that way, lockdown was an opportunity for me, because it allowed me to keep my focus on the work of composition. I think you feel it in music, but also in the lyrics which are fruit of all those moments when I was able to withdraw into myself and meditate.”
• A free Zombie Opera — yes, opera music performed by zombies — will take place at the Hamilton Park Gazebo in Jersey City, Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. Molly Dunn, Kofi Hayford, Lindell Carter and other singers will perform songs from operas including Gounod’s “Faust,” Verdi’s “La Traviata” and “Rigoletto,” Puccini’s “La Bohème” and Bizet’s “Carmen,” with a chamber orchestra and a choir made up of students from New Jersey City University and others, led by Jason Tramm.
• Jazz guitarist Pat Martino, who died in 2021, will be honored with “A Celebration of Life and Legacy,” presented by the South Jersey Jazz Society at the Gateway Playhouse and Gregory’s Restaurant in Somers Point, Nov. 3-6. Performers will include Pat Bianchi, Peter Bernstein, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Jimmy Bruno, Dave Stryker, Mark Whitfield, Russell Malone, Sheryl Bailey, Paul Bollenback and many others. Jazz critic Bill Milkowski will be the keynote speaker, and livestreaming will be available.
THEATER
• You would think a “Hamlet” sequel would be impossible, since the title character and so many others end up dead. But there is one: “Living Dead in Denmark,” which NEXTstage Repertory will present at the Sitnik Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center in Hackettstown, Nov. 3-7. It is described as “an action-adventure/horror sequel … Set five years after the events of the original, the undead have risen to power and are trying to take over the world, led by the zombie lord and true king of Denmark.”
FILM
• Lots of theaters have scheduled screenings of the enduringly popular movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” this holiday season. But the Music Box at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City will offer a major bonus with a live appearance by actor Barry Bostwick — who played one of the film’s main characters, Brad — when it shows the movie at 9 p.m. Oct. 28.
BERNADETA SERAFIN
RICHARD BARONE
OTHER/MULTIMEDIA
• Richard Barone will discuss his new book “Music + Revolution: Greenwich Village in the 1960s” and perform related music with Glenn Mercer, Dave Schramm, Mary Lee Kortes, Ed Horan and others at Little City Books in Hoboken, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
• The Chiller Theatre Toy, Model and Film Expo takes place at the Hilton Parsippany, Oct. 28-30, with vendors, Halloween costume and art contests, magic shows, and appearances by celebrities including Christie Brinkley, Cheech Marin, Lorraine Bracco, Chazz Palminteri, Ace Frehley, Gina Schock, Artimus Pyle, Constantine Maroulis, Bob Eubanks, Dean Cain, Gena Lee Nolin, Marla Gibbs and others.
• The Montclair Art Museum will offer a Free First Thursday Night, Nov. 3 from 5 to 9 p.m., with admission to the museum’s galleries (with tours available), food trucks and a cash bar, plus special attractions in honor of Native American Heritage Month. These include a performance by the Red Blanket Singers; a conversation about cultural commodification and reclamation led by Nicholas Galanin, in conjunction with the museum’s “Transformed: Objects Reimagined by American Artists” exhibit; a rattle-making workshop for all ages; and DJ sets by Mato Wayuhi.
REVIEWS
“Her Portmanteau,” presented by George Street Playhouse at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. (Through Oct. 30)
“On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan” at Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn. (Through Nov. 6)
“Machinal,” presented by Hudson Theatre Works at Wilson School, Weehawken. (Through Nov. 6)
“Alexis Rockman: Shipwrecks,” presented by the Princeton University Art Museum at Art@Bainbridge. (Through Nov. 27)
“American Stories: Gifts From the Jersey City Museum Collection” at Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick. (Through Dec. 30)
“New Jersey Arts Annual: Reemergence” at State Museum, Trenton. (Through April 30)
“George Inness: Visionary Landscapes” at Montclair Art Museum. (Through June 30, 2024)
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