\t\t\t2.1K<\/i><\/p>\n AMBE J. WILLIAMS<\/p>\n Samara Joy will perform at the May 16-18 Exit Zero Jazz Festival in Cape May.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here is a roundup of major arts events taking place around New Jersey, through May 20.<\/p>\n MUSIC<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 <\/strong>The spring edition of the biannual Exit Zero Jazz Festival <\/a><\/strong>will take place May 16-18, on stages at Convention Hall, the Convention Hall Deck, Carney\u2019s Main Room, and Carney\u2019s Other Room. As always, the music will not be confined to jazz, but also touch on blues, funk, R&B and more.<\/p>\n The Convention Hall headliners will be The Captain Black Big Band (led by pianist Orrin Evans and featuring singer Lisa Fischer), May 16 at 9 p.m.; trumpeter Terence Blanchard, May 17 at 9 p.m.; and singer Samara Joy (named Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy) and her octet, May 18 at 3:10 p.m. Among the festival\u2019s many other performers will be The Brandee Younger Trio, The American Patchwork Quartet, The Thomas Marriott Quintet, Luciane Dom, Paul Jost, Marel Hidalgo and Blues People.<\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> Johnny Mathis<\/strong> has announced that his sold-out 7 p.m. May 18 concert at BergenPAC<\/a> in Englewood will be the last one of his long career. A message on social media in March cited \u201cage and memory issues\u201d as the reason for his decision.<\/p>\n Mathis, who will turn 90 in September, had his first hit in 1956, with \u201cWonderful! Wonderful!,\u201d and reached the No. 1 position of the pop charts the next year with \u201cChances Are.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> The summer concert season at The PNC Bank Arts Center<\/a> in Holmdel will get underway with sonically groundbreaking bands Primus<\/strong>, Puscifer<\/strong> and A Perfect Circle<\/strong>, May 17 at 8 p.m. The show is part of the bands\u2019 Sessanta V2.0 Tour. The first Sessanta Tour took place last year; \u201cSessanta,\u201d an Italian word meaning \u201c60\u201d in English, referred to the 60th birthday, in April 2024, of Puscifer and A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan.<\/p>\n The Sessanta shows have an unusual structure. Instead of three long sets by the bands, the musicians present a dozen or so mini-sets, playing together in various combinations.<\/p>\n MELISSA ERRICO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022 <\/strong>Singer and Broadway actress Melissa Errico<\/strong> (Tony-nominated in 2003 for \u201cAmour\u201d) will present a show titled \u201cSondheim in the City\u201d \u2014 focusing on the late songwriter\u2019s \u201cNew York songs,\u201d including \u201cEverybody Says Don\u2019t,\u201d \u201cOpening Doors,\u201d \u201cGood Thing Going,\u201d \u201cBroadway Baby\u201d and \u201cBeing Alive\u201d \u2014 May 17 at 6 p.m. at The Chase Room at NJPAC<\/a> in Newark.<\/strong><\/p>\n Errico released an album titled Sondheim in the City<\/em> last year; listen to its \u201cAnother Hundred People,\u201d below.<\/p>\n \u2022 <\/strong>In a similar vein, veteran singer and actress Donna McKechnie<\/strong> \u2014 a Tony winner for \u201cA Chorus Line\u201d and, from March of last year to March of this year, Madame Morrible in \u201cWicked\u201d on Broadway \u2014 will present a show titled \u201cTake Me to the World: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim,\u201d May 16 at 7:30 p.m. at The Bell Theater at Bell Works<\/a> in Holmdel.<\/p>\n According to the theater\u2019s website, in addition to singing Sondheim\u2019s songs, McKechnie \u201cshares stories of her time working with him, revealing the great influence he had in her life professionally and personally.\u201d McKechnie was in the original cast of Sondheim\u2019s \u201cCompany\u201d in 1970.<\/p>\n \u2022 Shakira <\/strong>will perform at MetLife Stadium<\/a> in East Rutherford, May 15-16 at 7:30 p.m., with Pitbull opening on May 16 only. Shakira\u2019s current Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour follows the release of her 2024 album of that name \u2014 which includes hits such as \u201cMonoton\u00eda,\u201d \u201cAcr\u00f3stico\u201d and \u201cTe Felicito,\u201d and was named Best Latin Pop Album at this year\u2019s Grammy Awards \u2014 and these are the tour\u2019s only currently scheduled stops in New Jersey. These will also be the Colombian singer-songwriter\u2019s first New Jersey shows since 2010, when she performed in Atlantic City.<\/p>\n In March, Billboard picked Shakira as No. 1 on its list of The Best 50 Female Latin Pop Artists of All Time<\/a>, with Gloria Estefan, Selena, Celia Cruz and Karol G rounding out the Top 5.<\/p>\n (NOTE:<\/strong> Because of a strike, there may be no NJ Transit rail or bus service MetLife Stadium for these concerts. For transportation information, click HERE<\/a>.) BRENDA K. STARR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022 <\/strong>Brenda K. Starr \u2014 best known for \u201980s and early \u201990s dance-pop hits such as \u201cI Still Believe,\u201d \u201cWhat You See Is What You Get\u201d and \u201cNo Matter What,\u201d though she has concentrated on salsa music in recent years \u2014 will headline this year\u2019s edition of the free Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival<\/strong><\/a>, which will take place on May 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n Other performers will include Coro, Allison Strong, The Young Picassos, Dallas Connor, Allie Sandt, Alyx Astryx, 3 Dollars, and Finn Douglas & Friends.<\/p>\n The festival usually attracts more than 30,000 attendees, and offers arts and food vendors \u2014 on Hoboken\u2019s main drag, Washington Street, from Observer Highway to Seventh Street \u2014 in addition to the music.<\/p>\n \u2022 <\/strong>The Vitamin String Quartet<\/strong>, which specializes in classical interpretations of pop hits, will present a show titled \u201cThe Music of Taylor Swift, Bridgerton and Beyond\u201d at The Victoria Theater at NJPAC<\/a> in Newark, May 17 at 8 p.m. The show will include \u201creimagined\u201d versions of songs by BTS, The Weeknd, Daft Punk and others, as well.<\/p>\n Vitamin String Quartet music that has been featured in the Netflix series \u201cBridgerton\u201d includes their versions of Nirvana\u2019s \u201cStay Away\u201d and Robyn\u2019s \u201cDancing on My Own.\u201d Among the Taylor Swift songs they have covered are \u201cSafe & Sound,\u201d \u201cLook What You Made Me Do,\u201d \u201cAnti-Hero\u201d and \u201cFortnight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> Lou Gramm<\/strong> (formerly of Foreigner), Steve Augeri<\/strong> (formerly of Journey) and John Payne<\/strong> (formerly of Asia) are teaming up for The \u201980s Rock Tour<\/a>, which comes to Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort<\/a> in Atlantic City, May 16 at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n CHRIS DRUKKER<\/p>\n DAVE STRYKER<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022<\/strong> Ross Farm<\/a> in Basking Ridge will present its first Ross Farm Jazz Fest<\/strong>, May 17 from 2 to 8 p.m., with guitarist Dave Stryker and his band (featuring saxophonist Troy Roberts), pianist Frankie Midnight\u2019s Quartet (featuring trumpeter Carl Gerhard), and student groups from Rutgers, Montclair State and William Paterson universities and Ridge High School.<\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> The 503 Social Club<\/a> in Hoboken will present \u201cCelebrating Joan Baez: An Evening of Songs & Poetry,\u201d<\/strong> May 17 at 7 p.m., with participants including Jaime Della Fave, Wendy Joyner, Rebecca Turner, Sylvana Joyce and Ereni Sevasti.<\/p>\n Baez, widely regarded as the Queen of Folk in the \u201960s, released her first book of poetry, \u201cWhen You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance,\u201d<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n \u2022 New Jersey Symphony<\/a><\/strong> violinists Eric Wyrick and Francine Storck will be featured in Bach\u2019s Double Concerto for Two Violins at Symphony concerts taking place at The Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, May 16 at 8 p.m.; and Prudential Hall at NJPAC in Newark, May 17 at 8 p.m. and May 18 at 3 p.m. The Symphony\u2019s music director, Xian Zhang, will conduct, and the program will also include Mozart\u2019s Eine kleine Nachtmusik <\/em>and Symphony No. 35, \u201cHaffner\u201d; and Michael Abels\u2019 Delights and Dances<\/em>.<\/p>\n Also, May 17 at 2 p.m. at NJPAC, the Symphony will also present a family-friendly \u201cDiscover Mozart & Bach\u201d concert with Gregory D. McDaniel sharing the conducting with Zhang, Bill Barclay hosting, and the program shortened to 75 minutes and altered to includes excerpts from Eine kleine Nachtmusik<\/em> and Camille Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019 Cello Concerto No. 1 (featuring Annamaria Witek), as well as the Double Concerto for Two Violins and the \u201cHaffner\u201d symphony.<\/p>\n Click HERE<\/a> to read a new NJArts.net interview with Wyrick and Storck.<\/p>\n ANNE AKIKO MEYERS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022<\/strong> Grammy-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers<\/strong> will perform with The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra<\/strong> at The Bickford Theatre at The Morris Museum<\/a> in Morris Township, May 16 at 8 p.m. The program will feature the world premiere of \u201cThe Pacific Has No Memory\u201d \u2014 a new work by Eric Whitacre, commissioned by Meyers and dedicated to the victims of the California wildfires \u2014 as well as works by Beethoven, Haydn, Vaughan Williams and Caroline Shaw.<\/p>\n \u2022 <\/strong>Parlance Chamber Concerts<\/a> will present \u201cLate Night With Leonard Bernstein: A Multimedia Cabaret\u201d<\/strong> at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, May 18 at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n Bernstein\u2019s daughter, Jamie Bernstein, will host what is described on the Parlance website as \u201can affectionately intimate portrait of the multifaceted titan of 20th-century American music.\u201d Soprano Amy Burton and pianists John Musto and Michael Boriskin will perform music by Bernstein and others.<\/p>\n COMEDY<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> Uncle Vinnie\u2019s Comedy Club<\/a> in Point Pleasant Beach will offer \u201cAn Evening of Dinner & Yankees Game with Vic DiBitetto,\u201d<\/strong> May 20. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the televised game against The Texas Rangers beginning at 7:05 p.m. DiBitetto, a well known figure on the New Jersey comedy club circuit, will offer commentary throughout the game, as well as during the pre- and post-show broadcasts.<\/p>\n THEATER<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> George Street Playhouse<\/a> has assembled a star-studded cast for its 2025 Gala Benefit<\/strong>, May 17. The event will begin with a champagne reception and dinner at the Stage Left\/Catherine Lombardi restaurant at 4:30 p.m., with a cabaret and awards presentation at The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center following. Performers will include Ariana DeBose, Andr\u00e9 De Shields, Roger Bart, Tyne Daly and Bobby Conte, with Marlo Thomas and playwright Joe DiPietro also making appearances.<\/p>\n Former Gov. Thomas H. Kean and George Street Playhouse\u2019s longtime artistic director David Saint, who will retire after the end of the current season, will be honored, along with George Street trustees Ronald Bleich and Norman Politziner.<\/p>\n ERIN DAVIE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022 <\/strong>American Theater Group<\/a> will offer an evening of music and storytelling, titled \u201cBroadway Tales and Tunes,\u201d <\/strong>May 17 at 7:30 p.m. and May 18 at 2:30 p.m. at The Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge. Veteran theater critic Peter Filichia \u2014 whom I worked with for many years at The Star-Ledger \u2014 will tell stories about shows he has seen and theater-related experiences he has had, and Broadway actors Erin Davie (\u201cDiana,\u201d \u201cSunday in the Park With George,\u201d \u201cSide Show\u201d) and Nehal Joshi (\u201cThe Cottage,\u201d \u201cPhantom of the Opera,\u201d \u201cFlying Over Sunset\u201d) will perform, as will Aeja Barrows, a standout in American Theater Group\u2019s recent production of \u201cPurlie.\u201d<\/a> Michael Lavine, who appears regularly at the 54 Below cabaret in New York, will serve as music director.<\/p>\n \u2022 <\/strong>The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey<\/a> will open its 2025 season with Oscar Wilde\u2019s classic comedy \u201cThe Importance of Being Earnest,\u201d<\/strong> featuring veteran STNJ actors such as Marion Adler (as Lady Bracknell) and Christian Frost (as Algernon). The shows will be at The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre at Drew University in Madison, with the first preview on May 14, the official opening night on May 17, and the last show on June 1.<\/p>\n In a special \u201cFood Drive Preview,\u201d May 14 at 7:30 p.m., you can get admission for only $10 by donating two cans of food.<\/p>\n OTHER<\/strong><\/p>\n LAURA BILLINGHAM<\/p>\n A scene from ArtYard\u2019s 2022 \u201cHatch.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2022 \u201cThe Hatch,\u201d<\/strong> a free, biennial, family-friendly festival including costumes, music and a parade, will begin at 2 p.m. May 17 at ArtYard<\/a> in Frenchtown with the \u201ccracking\u201d of a 14-foot, steel-welded egg. Following that, according to a press release, \u201cColorful flocks of human birds and giant bird puppets will emerge, and a marching band, mariachi, and 25-person Brazilian drum corps will lead the procession to Sunbeam Lenape Park and through the borough\u2019s idyllic downtown, ending in a lively dance party back at ArtYard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hatch is a moment to come together with friends, family, neighbors, and strangers alike to create art, be silly, and dream,\u201d said ArtYard\u2019s founder and executive director, Jill Kearney, in a press release. \u201cAll are invited to participate by dressing up as a bird, joining the procession, dancing to the music, and imagining the change you wish to hatch into the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The hatching theme was inspired by ArtYard\u2019s emphasis on incubating new works, as well as the location\u2019s 20th century history as an egg hatchery.<\/p>\n Performers will include Day Day Juicy Couture (from the HBO Max voguing reality show \u201cLegendary\u201d); the brass band Orquesta La Sagrada Concepci\u00f3n; the Nuevo Amanecer mariachi band; the all-percussion samba reggae band Batala Philly; and singer Eric Mingus.<\/p>\n \u2022<\/strong> The Hunterdon Art Museum<\/a> in Clinton will celebrate the opening of two new group exhibitions \u2014 \u201cPulp: The Fluid and The Concrete\u201d (devoted to hand paper-making) and \u201cSelections from The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art\u201d \u2014 with a Block Party<\/strong>, May 18 from to 5 p.m. Free museum admission and curator talks will be offered, along with music by The Moon Dwellers, the Tia B\u2019s Street Tacos food truck, and an \u201cArtBar.\u201d Some of the artists whose work will be featured in the exhibition will be attending, as well.<\/p>\n REVIEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Shark Is Broken,\u201d<\/a> <\/strong>presented by George Street Playhouse at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. (Through May 18)<\/p>\n \u201cPrimary Trust\u201d<\/strong><\/a> at Berlind Theater at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton. (Through May 25)<\/p>\n \u201cJames Prosek: At Work\u201d<\/a><\/strong> at Morris Museum, Morris Township. (Through June 8)<\/p>\n \u201cTatyana Kazakova: In Spite of Our Fears\u201d<\/a> <\/strong>at Grover House Gallery, Caldwell. (Through June 27)<\/p>\n \u201cNanette Carter: A Question of Balance\u201d<\/a><\/strong> at Montclair Art Museum. (Through July 6)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.njarts.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/joy3.jpg?ssl=1\")
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