Hot Tickets for the Holidays

November 21 to December 30

Holiday Inn

Paper Mill Playhouse

(Check web site for show dates and times)

The beloved production is fresh off a successful Broadway run and features more than 20 classic songs by Irving Berlin, including “White Christmas” and “Cheek to Cheek.”

Saturday, November 24

 

Travis Scott

Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour

Prudential Center 7:30 pm

Hip-hop superstar Travis Scott has transformed his hit album Astroworld into a rollicking stage show.

Friday, November 30

Melissa Etheridge In Concert

State Theatre 8:00 pm

The iconic Grammy- and Oscar-winning rocker comes to

New Brunswick for a special Holiday Show that includes

her greatest hits plus selections from her popular 2008

album A New Thought for Christmas.

Saturday, December 1

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea In Concert

UCPAC 8:00 pm

Father Alphonse Stephenson leads the Jersey Shore’s most acclaimed orchestral ensemble.

Saturday, December 1

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Rhapsody In Blue & The Firebird

State Theatre 8:00 pm

Joshua Wilderstain leads the NJSO in stirring performances featuring pianist Aaron Diehl.

Sunday, December 2

Boston Pops 2018 Holiday Tour

State Theatre 2:00 pm

Keith Lockhart conducts the iconic Pops in their beloved holiday concert performance. Lockhart is the second longest-tenured conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra after Arthur Fiedler.

Tuesday, December 4

Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour 2018

State Theatre 8:00 pm

Saxophonist Dave Koz has dropped nine albums that reached #1 on the Billboard charts. He brings his band to New Brunswick for an evening of jazz hits and holiday classics.

Friday, December 7

Heidi Latsky Dance

D.I.S.P.L.A.Y.E.D.

Kean Stage 7:30 pm

An immersive experience that combines dance, fashion, and performance art, transforming the theater into a unique gallery space that is both energizing and deeply emotional.

Saturday, December 15

Louie Anderson Live On Stage

UCPAC 8:00 pm

The beloved standup and comic actor rolls into Rahway for an evening of

storytelling and laughs. Anderson recently won a Best Supporting Emmy for his role in the FX series Baskets.

Saturday, December 15

Kelli O’Hara In Concert

Kean Stage 7:30 pm

Broadway star Kelli O’Hara—she won a Tony as Anna in The King and I—takes

the stage for an evening of standards, show tunes and selections from the Italian opera Così Fan Tutte.

Saturday, December 22

Trans Siberian Orchestra

Ghosts of Christmas Eve Tour

Prudential Center 2:00 & 8:00 pm

TSO makes its annual holiday pilgrimage to The Rock.

Monday, December 31

Strauss Symphony of America Salute to Vienna

State Theatre 6:00 pm

Soprano Iva Schell, tenor Martin Piskorski, conductor Christoph Campestrini, and Europaballett St. Pölten headline a New Brunswick New Year’s Eve tradition.

For the Kids

Saturday, December 1

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

Rainbow Fish

Kean Stage 11:00 am

Marcus Pfister’s best-selling book about the most beautiful fish in the sea—whose scales shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow—comes to life.

Saturday, December 1

Alex Mitnick: Milk & Cookies

State Theatre 10:00 am, 12:00 Noon & 2:00 pm

Emmy winner Alex Mitnick and his bandmates look at the world through his kaleidoscope in a sing-, dance and clap-along performance.

Sunday, December 9

Snowkus Pocus

Kean Stage 3:00 pm

A charming tale of a girl named Brianna told through dazzling cirque, breathtaking ballet and incredible

acrobatics.

Saturday, December 15

The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert

NJPAC  2:00 & 7:30 pm

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will perform the score of this classic holiday film live.

Sunday, December 16

Shopkins: Live On Stage

UCPAC 11:00 am & 2:00 pm

Ask your little ones about Shopkins. They are one of the country’s top-selling toys. They make their theatrical debut in an original new live show featuring musical performances.

Friday, December 21 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 22 2:00 & 7:00 pm

American Repertory Ballet: Nutcracker

State Theatre

ARB takes the stage accompanied by a live orchestra and choir, and joined by students from Princeton Ballet School, to tell the story of a young girl named Clara and a mysterious gift from her Uncle Drosselmeyer.

Wed. & Thurs., December 26 & 27

Cirque Dreams Holidaze Live On Stage

NJPAC 7:00 pm

Broadway director Neil Goldberg has assembled a world-class cast of cirque performers for a holiday show featuring 20 astonishing acts.

Sunday, December 30

Harlem Globetrotters

Prudential Center 6:00 pm

The Globies bring their traveling show to the Prudential Center as part of their latest world tour. Sports wagering is legal in New Jersey now, but you may have trouble finding someone to cover a bet on the Trotters.

Wednesday, January 23 10:00 am & 12:00 Noon

Thursday, January 24 10:00 am

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

State Theatre

The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia stages a magical production of author Eric Carle’s beloved children’s books.

Sunday, January 27

Pete the Cat

Kean Stage 3:00 pm

A groovy cat named Pete joins the Biddle family in a fun, sensory-friendly performance.

Friday, January 11

Saturday, January 12

Stomp

State Theatre 2:00 & 8:00 pm

The international percussion sensation stops in New Brunswick for three January shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments—matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps—to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.

Sunday, January 13, State Theatre 3:00 pm

Friday, January 25, NJPAC 8:00 pm

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Zhang & Ax: Transformation

NJSO’s Winter Festival features conductor Xian Zhang and pianist Emanuel Ax performing the works of Mozart and Tchaikovsky.

Friday, January 18

Panic! At the Disco

Pray for the Wicked Tour

Prudential Center 7:00 pm

Special guest Two Feet joins the Panic! crew for a Friday night rock show. The group earned a Best Rock Album nod at the 2017 Grammys for their last release, Death of a Bachelor.

Friday, January 18

CeCe Winans, Anthony Brown & J.J. Hairston

An MLK Weekend Celebration

NJPAC 8:00 pm

Twelve-time R&B Grammy winner CeCe Winans leads an all-star cast in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Saturday, January 19

Jennifer Holliday In Concert

UCPAC 8:00 pm

A smashing debut as Effie in Broadway’s Dreamgirls catapulted Holliday to superstardom. Her recording career includes a pair of Grammys and the 2014 hit album The Song Is You.

Thursday, January 31

Jeb Bush

New Jersey Speakers Series

NJPAC 8:00 pm

Two-term Florida Governor Jeb Bush talks about life on the campaign trail and as part of one of America’s most successful political families.

January 31 to March 3

My Very Own British Invasion

Paper Mill Playhouse

(Check web site for show dates and times)
A fable of young love set against the backdrop of the exploding 1960s music scene, inspired by the real-life experiences of Peter Noone. Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell choreographs and directs.

Friday, February 1

Eva Noblezada In Concert

Kean Stage 7:30 pm

The Tony-nominated Noblezada has redefined the role of Kim in Miss Saigon on both the London and Broadway stages.

Thursday, February 7

Savion Glover

All Funk’d Up

State Theatre 8:00 pm

Tap superstar Savion Glover leads a six-piece band and company of dancers onto the State Theatre stage for his newest production.

Friday, February 15 8:00 pm

Saturday, February 16 2:00 & 8:00 pm

Sunday, February 17 2:00 pm

Chicago

State Theatre

The longest-running American musical in Broadway history tells the story of Roaring 20s femme fatale, Roxie Hart, with one show-stopping tune after another.

Saturday, February 23

John Mellencamp In Concert

State Theatre 8:00 pm

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer takes his John Mellencamp Show on the road in support of his new album, Other People’s Stuff.

Saturday, March 2

Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour

Prudential Center 8:00 pm

Elton John has added more dates to his farewell tour, including a late-winter stop at

The Rock.

Editor’s Note: For more info on these listings log onto the following web sites:

Kean Stage • keanstage.com

Paper Mill Playhouse • papermill.org

State Theatre • stnj.org

NJPAC • njpac.org

Prudential Center • prucenter.com

Union County Performing Arts Center & Hamilton Stage • ucpac.org