Absolute don't-miss things to do and shows to see this fall

Fall is when the leaves die — and the entertainment world comes to life.

New shows, new museum attractions, new films, new concert tours, a new TV season — well, not this year — are as welcome, each September, as pumpkin spice. No, more welcome.

No more dull summer distractions. No more beach-going, barbecuing, fishing, hiking, water-skiing, skydiving and bungee-jumping. This fall, it's time to live. Visit an art museum. Go to the theater. Scream hysterically as your favorite artist rocks the house. It's good exercise.

Just to whet your appetite, we've combed through the listings and come up with some events to get you in a ticket-buying mood.

These are not the only things out there, for sure. But they're things that grabbed our attention, quickened our pulse, made us think there might be something to look forward to in this sad old world after all.

'Rent'

Who says the fall isn't a season of love? "Rent" is of course the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning 1996 musical that transports "La Boheme" to artists' quarters of lower Manhattan during the AIDS crisis. For this production, which opens the 91st season of the Bergen County Players, the company is partnering with Buddies of NJ to bring two panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the Little Firehouse Theater in Oradell, where they will remain for the duration of the run — Sept. 9 to Oct. 14. “'Rent' is about chosen family, about community, and about living in the moment," said Steve Bell, who is directing this production of the Jonathan Larson musical. bcplayers.org

'Transformed'

"My kid could paint that!" used to be the cry of art philistines. "My kid could have found that!" might be the reaction of some visitors to the Montclair Art Museum, where "Transformed: Objects Reimagined by American Artists" is up from Sept. 12 to Dec. 3. But through the eye of the artist, the dolls, toys, old boots, Monopoly boards, mannequins, garden ornaments and other found objects that cycle in and out of the show during its three month run have been transformed into something rich and strange. Gail Stavitsky, chief curator, put the show together. montclairartmuseum.org

Gin Blossoms

No band named after W.C. Fields' nose could be all bad, and The Gin Blossoms — formed in 1987, dissolved and reformed in the years since, has proven to have remarkable staying power. They've been at it for more than 35 years — not bad for an alternative band whose first album had the appetizing title "New Miserable Experience" ("Hey Jealousy," their first single from the album, went gold). You can welcome them to The Wellmont on Sept. 13. Their opening act is Tonic: it can't be a coincidence. wellmonttheater.com

Gloria Gaynor

Disco doesn't suck. But it does live. And the living proof is Newark's own Gloria Gaynor, whose "I Will Survive" has had its own remarkable trajectory as an anthem for feminists, gays, and everyone else who has lived through the worst and come out better for it. She'll be at Englewood's bergenPAC Sept. 16. bergenpac.org

The Eagles

They're flying off into the sunset — supposedly — but before that they're saying farewell with a "Long Goodbye" concert tour full of hits: "Hotel California," "Desperado," "Take It Easy," "Tequila Sunrise," Lyin' Eyes." Or at least, the remaining members are: the current lineup consists of Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey. Opening for one half of the Eagles is one-half of Steely Dan: Donald Fagen will be holding down the fort for the late great Walter Becker, who passed in 2017. Prudential Center, Newark, Sept. 16 and 17. prucenter.com

Lauryn Hill

It's been 25 years since Lauryn Hill was miseducated. What more natural than a class reunion? The East Orange native, whose triumphant 1998 "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" album marked her graduation from the seminal hiphop group The Fugees, is doing a 25th anniversary tour that will incorporate a performance of the album. You can see her Sept. 23 as part of the Global Citizen Festival on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York, or again on Oct. 17 at the Prudential Center in Newark, or Oct. 19 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The latter two performances will also feature the Fugees. globalcitizen.org, prucenter.com, barclayscenter.com

'The Pianist'

First there was "The Pianist," the World War II memoir by Wkadyslaw Szpilman. Then there was the 2002 Roman Polanski film "The Pianist," starring Oscar-winner Adrien Brody. Then there was the inappropriate Oscar-night kiss by Adrien Brody to presenter Halle Berry — the big takeaway of Oscar Night 2003. But skip the last part and go back to the memoir, which has now been adapted into a "play with music" by playwright Emily Mann, with Ukrainian-Russian actor Daniel Donskoy as the concert pianist who somehow survives the worst of the Nazi atrocities in Warsaw. Broadway veteran Austin Pendleton is also in the cast of the play, which runs Sept. 26 to Oct. 22 at the George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick. georgestreetplayhouse.org

Branford Marsalis

The most fun, and funky, of New Orleans' massively talented Marsalis clan will be bringing his quartet including pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner to bergenPAC on Sept. 30. And of course, Branford's ax is the sax. Expect the unexpected. bergenpac.org

Buddy Guy

Give it up for the last bluesman standing. But Buddy Guy, 87, the eight-time Grammy winning Chicago guitarist who influenced Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and just about everyone else you could think of, is not going quietly. "Buddy Guy — Damn Right Farewell" is being billed as his last tour. You can catch him at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Sept 30, Morristown's Mayo Performing Arts Center on Oct. 7 and at bergenPAC in Englewood on Oct. 8. thebasie.org, mayoarts.org, bergenpac.org

Wé Ani

She wowed you on "The Voice." She ka-powed you on "American Idol." And now young Wé Ani, of Harlem and Paterson, is bringing it on home to Newark's NJPAC on Oct. 1, where she'll be opening for R&B headliner Monica (“The Boy Is Mine,” “Angel of Mine,” “So Gone”). njpac.org

Montclair Film Festival

Can it really be only 12 years since Montclair turned into Sundance East — the hippest place to see new movies, celebrity talkbacks, panel discussions and afterparties? Oct 20 to 29, Montclair will once again be a magnet for film lovers and trend spotters, seeking the best of independent documentaries, shorts and fiction films. What will this year's Montclair Film Festival bring? Stay tuned. montclairfilm.org

Loreena McKennitt

If moonlit heaths, standing stones highwaymen riding, riding up to the old inn door are your kettle of Celt, then Loreena McKennitt is the lady for you. She'll be casting her spell at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Oct. 24. thebasie.org

Indigo Girls

The closer you are to Morristown, the closer you'll be to fine. The Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, return to one of their favorite haunts — Mayo Performing Arts Center — on Oct. 24. mayoarts.org

'Rocky Horror Picture Show'

In another dimension, with voyeuristic intention, is Patricia Quinn. You remember her — Magenta, one half of the brother-sister act (with Richard O'Brien's Riffraff) that was among the kinkier features of the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." And now, with just a jump to the left and a step to the right, she'll be time-warping over to Englewood to host a special screening of everyone's favorite sing-along (and dance-along and act-along) film on Oct 25 at bergenPAC. Remember: Incest is best! bergenpac.org

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

Once upon a time, America was almost undone by a scheming president. No such thing could happen now, of course. Just the same, you might want to hear from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, authors of "All the President's Men," the Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate scandal. It's just possible they'll have a thought or two about more recent events. They'll be at Newark's NJPAC Oct 26. njpac.org

The 1975

This massive English pop rock band is said to owe its cryptic name to the scribblings frontman Matty Healy left in his copy of "On the Road" (they were dated "1 June, The 1975"). How's that for an origin story? In any case, The 1975 got together in The 2002, and released hit albums in The 2013, The 2016, The 2018, The 2020, and The 2022. You can see them Nov. 7 at The Prudential. prucenter.com

'A Night on the Town'

Three sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York, New York. No, it's not "On the Town" (1949) with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. It's not even "On the Town," the 1944 Broadway musical by Leonard Bernstein, on which the film was (loosely) based. It's "Fancy Free," the too-seldom-seen 1944 ballet with music by Bernstein and choreography by Jerome Robbins, that inspired both of them. But you can see it Nov 17 at Mayo Performing Arts Center. The program, "New Jersey Ballet presents a Night on the Town," also features modernistic ballets by Stravinsky and others. mayoarts.org

Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Jazz great Sarah Vaughan got her start in Newark. And although she's no longer here, she's still giving back through NJPAC's Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, a showcase for all the Sarah Vaughans of tomorrow. It all happens November 19. WBGO's Pat Prescott is host; the judges include Jane Monheit, Christian McBride, Madeleine Peyroux, Al Pryor and Lizz Wright. njpac.org

Neil Gaiman

The creator of "The Sandman," "American Gods," "Good Omens" and "Coraline" is a spellbinder — and sometimes, a nightmare-inducer. The master storyteller will be weaving his web at NJPAC on Dec. 3. njpac.org

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Want to hear "Someday" by the Strokes, as a '40s saloon ballad? Or "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne as a '30s hot jazz number? Or Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself" as a Dixieland strut? Of course you do — and Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox is just the band to deliver. You can attend their musical mix-and-match session at Mayo Performing Arts Center Dec. 5, and at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Dec. 21. mayoarts.org, thebasie.org

Jonas Brothers

They are Wyckoff NJ's gift to the world — and they're a gift that keeps on giving. Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas will be bringing their "Happiness Begins Tour" to the Prudential Center on Dec. 6 and 7 — billed as their first headline tour in nearly a decade. prucenter.com

Tab Benoit and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

New Orleans is ground zero for American pop music — the place where jazz, and therefore R&B, and therefore rock, begins. And it hasn't stopped making great music, as these two veteran Crescent City acts attest. Guitarist Tab Benoit conjures up the city's swamp blues tradition, while the funky Dirty Dozen Brass Band keeps its parading, second-lining Mardi Gras spirit alive. You can catch them at Montclair's Wellmont Theater Dec. 9. wellmonttheater.com

-

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Things to do in NJ fall 2023: Best shows, plays, concerts