I come from a land of plentiful free music festivals and street fairs (San Francisco, CA) and I…read moremoved out here in search of the same joyous activities to fill my evenings and weekends. NYC? Yeah, I know, they've got me covered, and I do partake...but I'm a Jersey Girl now and I want to play in my own city and state. Behold! Sounds of the City! Every Thursday of every summer, NJPAC holds this outdoor concert series. The event goes from 5:00-10:00pm. Just perfect for the after-work crowd. Yay! I get to play in my own city! The lineup is amazing. The event is free, and I've looked, there were no donation boxes or collectors in sight. Yes, I'd donate if they asked. (You can donate online though.) There were a few small grass patches, plenty of brick roads and a checkerboard dance floor set up in front of the stage. Bring your lawn chairs, picnic baskets, and whatever you wish to eat or drink. There were no rules against BYOB. And if you felt like keeping it light, just come with cash. There were a couple of food vendors set up...just a couple, so the lines can be long. There were also liquor vendors, but their system is a bit odd. You buy drink tickets in the same line you redeem the tickets. You can only buy tickets of $5 and $2 values, combine them as you wish for the price of your drink, then scoot two feet over to redeem. No Port-O-Potties, the restrooms are inside the NJPAC. How nice! A few vendors selling clothing, novelties, and incense and body oils were also there on the first day I went, but that might vary depending on the performer(s). I was there just yesterday to see The Wailers, enjoying the Bob Marley classics we all know and love. I plan to go every week, whether or not the performer(s) are familiar. Big Daddy Kane is coming up, but I'm most looking forward to seeing Rakim (still one of the greatest MCs of all time, just saying).

Good times! Good music! Good energy!…read more Saw Big Daddy Kane today and he rocked it! He's still got it! Brought me back to happier times. This is true hip-hop!

The best thing about this performance school is convenience. The offices are on Lincoln Park, but…read morethe classes are located in the NJPAC buildings, which are a few blocks from my apt. I take 4 classes (ballet+jazz Monday, tap+hip-hop Wednesday). Though there are some adults (me), classes are dominated by middle and high school students, who can be, well, unprofessional. There are no open classes--you sign up for an entire academic semester. With discounts, I pay about $10/class=$40/week. The teachers vary in rigor and experience, but none of them is terrible. They can't compare to BDC and Steps in New York, but they can give you much more personal attention in this smaller setting. Bottom line: If you're in Newark near the NJPAC and want to stay in good dance shape (and you can't get motivated to trek into NYC every night), suck it up and take class here.

From the owner: Performing Artsread more

And the legacy continues. historical and an amazing venue for a new upcoming artist the legacy is…read morewhat made this venue, the strongest with his history but also the new young budding talent will keep it sustainable.

Over the past few months, USA Network filmed a weekly, live competition show inside of Newark…read moreSymphony Hall every Thursday. This is a review with notes on how it was filming in the space from an audience member's perspective. This was my first time inside Newark Symphony Hall. I've passed by the marquee countless times over the years, but never found myself with the opportunity to go inside for a concert or private event. My partner would talk about it because he went there as a kid for a school trip and had good memories. Back in its heyday, there were big names who performed there - Richard Prior, Patti La Belle, Queen Latifah, Gladys Knight, and the O'Jays. Filming during the pandemic, there are a bunch of protocols in place. Before entering inside the venue, there was a roped off queue line where - while waiting - you gave your name and signed in, filled out a health questionnaire, showed proof of vaccination, and got your temperature taken. Once cleared, there were different lines for audience members depending on whether you were general or VIP. Leading up to the lobby doors, there are large, black-and-white framed pictures of performers and persons of interest (like Sarah Vaughan and the City of Newark's former mayors), which were really interesting to look at while in line. Once inside the lobby area, you'll notice right away the older architectural finishes of the space and you realize the age of the building. NSH is almost a hundred years old and was a former temple before it became an entertainment venue in the 1920s. The stage in the hall is large; you could fit an orchestra. Production had audience members seated close to the stage and not on the tiered level seating area. The hall was large enough to fit a camera crane and huge teleprompters, and the house could handle professional lighting for film. I was really impressed by the whole filming operation inside the theater, and what could be done in the space. The show aired at 9pm, so Production had us inside and seated by 8 for pre-records and other prep stuff. We were out by 10pm. There was a parking lot just right around the corner where you could keep your car if you drove. I imagine that the venue would be great for other filming projects involving extras. My partner says that the venue could be amazing if properly renovated (that would be a pretty expensive venture though). I hope that NSH can secure funding to further preserve/renovate this historical landmark building. After finally getting the chance to be inside, you see there's so much potential for the space (I think of Loew's Theatre in Journal Square, JC). With so much new development downtown, I get nervous that historical gems like this won't survive.

9/26/25: Beautifully structured building located in South Orange Village. The center contains 425…read morecomfortable seats. It was my very first visit. Excellent acoustics and visibility. We came to see Masters of The Telecaster ft. Truly excellent guitarists who played with some of the greats! The center has a small concession with alcohol and snacks. The venue has clean bathrooms. The facility has excellent parking. There's also street and municipal parking. Lots of police presence in the area. Lots of great restaurants within steps of this venue. In fact, we had stopped for a great dinner at Gaslight Brewery.

We were recently back at SOPAC for an intimate concert of two different solo artists. We were…read moreseated in essentially the same seats as last time, but two rows closer to the stage. The seating was perfect; the theater was clean; and the sound was fantastic. It was certainly different having those types of movie-theater like seats for a concert, but, due to the calming nature of the two musicians, it still worked. However, there were definitely patrons that were treating it like a loud, standing room venue that were animatedly talking throughout most of the show. Despite their distractions, it was another excellent experience!

In addition the plays scheduled during their performance season, Luna Stage also has opportunities…read moreto check out read-throughs with playwrights. I checked out the New Moon Reading Series at Luna Stage this month. According to the website, "New Moon Readings provide playwrights an opportunity to hear their work read aloud by professional actors, and to receive supportive yet constructive feedback." For viewers, it's an opportunity to see a creative work in progress and hear directly from the playwright, which I thought was really cool. I randomly came across the read-through of TRAD on their website, and booked tickets online (free - but you can also donate what you wish). It was a neat experience and would recommend it!

I have usually rated shows at Luna Stage as 4-5 stars and I spread the word about how good they…read morestaging and production is. I am a big fan of Luna and I financially support them but &SONS is a miserable show and an insult to the audience. It is amateurish, booring and both loud at times and too low to hear the characters dialogue at others. This show could have been better presented as a very short 5-10 play and nothing would have been lost. Luna has a pay what you want policy which is great but this time I wish it was a pay after you view the show.

Great classes, teacher, performances! I had a good time taking improv classes here and performing…read morein class shows!

This place is great and offers a variety of resources for adults, teens, tweens, and kids. Between…read morethe corporate workshops, improv classes, and musical theater the school is sure to meet your needs whatever they may be. Angelique is great.

Eric came and did a magic show for my 5 year old boy. He was very good and entertaining. The kids…read moreand parents had an amazing time being wow'd by his tricks. Eric came on time - his performance consisted of 45 mins of magic and 15 mins of balloon twisting for the kids. Glad to have met and hired Eric to do the birthday show. Fun fact: Eric was able to make a balloon dog figure behind his back in under 10 seconds.

Amazing Q was a hit at my recent Friendsmas gathering. A small group of 10 people, the show was…read moreadored by all and Q made sure to include everyone in his show. 10/10 recommend.