'Rocky Horror Picture Show' and more Halloween things to do this weekend at the Shore
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
"It's just a jump to the left/And then a step to the right/Put your hands on your hips/You bring your knees in tight..."
Halloween weekend is the perfect time to do the "Time Warp" with the Friday Nite Specials.
For two decades, the troupe has been celebrating the cult classic 1975 movie musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at area cinemas.
The Specials act out director Jim Sharman's film of the Richard O'Brien sci-fi/horror camp musical extravaganza at late-night screenings. There are pre-show festivities, call-back lines for the audience to shout at the screen, an array of props and other embellishments.
Upcoming shows take place at 9 p.m. and midnight Friday at the Basie Center Cinemas in Red Bank, where the troupe is now based. There's also a show at 8 p.m. Saturday at Grunin Center in Toms River, and 10 p.m. Sunday at Rutgers Cinema in Piscataway.
Tickets are $12 in Red Bank, $20 in Toms River and $11 in Piscataway.
Go: Friday Nite Specials present "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," 9 p.m. and midnight Friday, Basie Center Cinemas, 36 White St., Red Bank, $12. The Specials also will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Grunin Center for the Arts, Ocean County College, 1 College Drive, Toms River, $20; and at 10 p.m. Sunday at Rutgers Cinema, 105 Joyce Kilmer Ave., Piscataway, $11. To purchase tickets, or for more information on the show or the troupe, visit rockyhorrornj.com.
Here are other things to do in New Jersey this weekend:
The Wag's Halloween Spectacular in Lakewood
Hailing from the Bayshore area, The Wag is a four-piece unit that has been entertaining and moving audiences with energetic pop rock for 25 years.
From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, the band plays a Halloween Spectacular at the Strand in Lakewood. The show will include Halloween-themed songs, plus dance numbers, costume changes and comedy sketches.
Attendees are welcome to dress in costume — you could win a prize! Tickets are $20.
Go: The Wag's Halloween Spectacular, 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, The Strand Theater, 400 Clifton Ave., Lakewood, $20; 732-367-7789, etix.com/ticket/v/16572/the-strand-theater. For more on The Wag, visit thewagband.com.
'Freaky Friday' at Axelrod
Jackie Nuzzo of East Brunswick, and Middletown residents Rebecca Grodek and Sealth Grover, star in the Axelrod Performing Arts Academy’s production of the musical "Freaky Friday" from Friday to Sunday.
This family-favorite story, based on the Disney film, centers on a mother and daughter who get into an argument and their bodies are magically switched. They must make it through the day with mom at high school and the daughter preparing for a next-day wedding. They come to appreciate one another's struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter.
The show features music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of "Next to Normal."
Nuzzo, who plays Katherine (the mom), has appeared in the national tour of "Elf the Musical," as well as off-Broadway’s "Sistas the Musical." Grodek, 17, plays the daughter, Ellie. Grover, an 18-year-old from Navesink, plays Ellie’s love interest, Adam.
Performances take place at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Go: "Freaky Friday," Friday to Sunday, Axelrod Performing Arts Center, 100 Grant Ave., Deal Park, $24 to $28; 732-531-9106, ext. 14, axelrodartscenter.com.
Spooky sips: Boo-zy punch and Candy Corn-Tini: Shore restaurants, bars create fun Halloween drinks
Party all weekend with Culture Crawl, and win $50
The Culture Collective — which operates Mexican restaurant Barrio Costero, Mediterranean restaurant Reyla, and Laylow Cocktail Lounge in Asbury Park — is hosting a special Culture Crawl.
Visit Laylow between Thursday and Monday to try the limited time Slasher cocktail menu, with selections like the mysterious, floral and citrusy Soothsayer (Scotch whisky, plum liqueur, taro, ginger and cardamom).
Then attend a Halloween cocktail mixing class at Reyla on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ($66).
Lastly, visit Barrio Costero on Nov. 2 for the annual Dia de Los Muertos party to mark the end of spooky season. If you do all three events in this creepy crawl, you'll win a $50 gift card and be entered to win an exclusive tasting at SleighLow (Laylow's annual holiday extravaganza), when it starts in November.
Go: For Laylow: 603 Mattison Ave., 732-307-9640, laylowap.com. For Reyla: 603 Mattison Ave., 732-455-8333, heyreyla.com. For Barrio Costero: 610 Bangs Ave., 732-455-5544, barriocostero.com.
Dine in darkness: Wednesday Addams would love to try these dark dishes and drinks at the Jersey Shore
'The Black Press' exhibit in Red Bank
Come and meet the powerful individuals who were newspaper publishers, journalists, didactic thinkers, courageous writers and skilled photographers.
"The Black Press: Stewards of Democracy" opens Saturday at the T. Thomas Fortune Foundation and Cultural Center in Red Bank.
As a cadre of political activists, these individuals — such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Louis Summersett (a friend of T. Thomas Fortune) — fought to be recognized and respected as a race of people, and to gain economic justice.
Open from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, the show runs through Jan. 31, 2024. Tickets are $12. Group tours take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Group tickets are $15 each.
Go: "The Black Press: Stewards of Democracy," through Jan. 31, 2024, T. Thomas Fortune Foundation and Cultural Center, 94 Drs. James Parker Blvd., Red Bank, $12; 732-383-5483, tthomasfortuneculturalcenter.org.
Lakewood auto show
The Lakewood Township PBA, Local 71, presents its second annual auto show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.
Cars for a Cause benefits Ocean of Love for Children with Cancer and Bikur Cholim of Lakewood. Enjoy live music by Kickin’ Wing and food trucks. There also will be a 50/50.
The registration fee for all car makes and models is $20 (cash only) on Sunday.
Go: Lakewood Township PBA, Local 71, auto show, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, ShoreTown Ballpark, 2 Stadium Way, Lakewood; 732-363-0200, ext. 2277, pbacarshow@lakewoodpolicenj.com.
Seward Johnson sculpture collection on OCC campus
The Ocean County College Foundation has announced the debut of the Seward Johnson sculpture collection on the campus of OCC in Toms River.
Twenty bronze life-art pieces from the Seward Johnson Atelier are placed throughout the college’s main and upper campus. An additional piece will be placed at OCC’s campus in Manahawkin next month.
A New Jersey native, Johnson is known for his sculptures depicting people engaged in everyday activities. More than 450 of his life-size cast bronze figures have been featured in private collections around the world.
“This installation is intended to usher in awareness of the Ocean County College Foundation Art Collection as an opportunity to engage our students, campus and broader community,” said Kenneth J. Malagiere, executive director of the Ocean County College Foundation, in a release.
Information about each of the works is available on the foundation’s webpage, along with the location of each sculpture on campus. The exhibit is on display through June 2024.
Go: Seward Johnson sculptures, Ocean County College, 1 College Drive, Toms River; go.ocean.edu/SewardJohnson for details. To learn more about foundation events or the art collection, call 732-255-0492 or email Foundation@ocean.edu.
Step Into the Spotlight in Point Pleasant Beach
The Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing engaging and immersive arts education to New Jersey youth, has announced Dance Through the Decades, its sixth annual Step Into the Spotlight Soiree and Talent Competition at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Lobster Shanty in Point Pleasant Beach.
The event features active audience participation, a showcase of talent and celebrity judges. The statewide nonprofit ArtPride New Jersey will receive the Arts Advocacy Award for its work advancing, promoting and advocating for the value of the arts.
The event is dedicated to the life and memory of Carolyn Hester, one of the contestants in the inaugural Step into the Spotlight Soiree. All proceeds support the Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation’s mission to give children the opportunity to find their voice, increase self-esteem, and provide positive reinforcement through the performing arts.
The event takes place in the Sunset Ballroom. Dress in your favorite music decade, or as your favorite music artist. Tickets are $125.
Go: Dance Through the Decades, the sixth annual Step Into the Spotlight Soiree and Talent Competition, 6 p.m. Thursday, Lobster Shanty, Sunset Ballroom, 83 Channel Drive, Point Pleasant Beach, $125; https://applaudourkids.org.
New Jersey Youth Symphony in Trenton
The New Jersey Youth Symphony presents its 45th season-opening concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton.
The NJYS Youth Symphony, led by Helen H. Cha-Pyo, and NJYS Youth Orchestra, led by Simon Lipskar, will perform works by Louise Farrenc, Jennifer Higdon, Giacomo Puccini, Ottorino Respighi, Jean Sibelius and Dmitri Shostakovich.
The program features Shostakovich’s Festival Overture, written 70 years ago, as well as Sibelius' "Finlandia" and Respighi's "The Pines of Rome," iconic symphonic works of the 19th century. Inspired by the NJYS Youth Symphony's recent tour to Italy, The Pines of Rome will feature projected images of these umbrella-shaped trees.
The concert will celebrate women composers with Farrenc’s Overture No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 23, and the New Jersey premiere of Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite. A underrepresented French composer, Farrenc was Paris Conservatoire’s only woman professor of the 19th century. Cold Mountain Suite from Higdon, a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer, is excerpted from the opera of the same name.
Tickets are $20.
Go: New Jersey Youth Symphony, 7 p.m. Saturday, Patriots Theater, War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, $20; 908-790-0700, njys.org.
Gabriela L. Laracca contributed to this story.
Have an event coming up at the Jersey Shore? Tell us about it. Email Bill Canacci at bcanacci@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore things to do include Rocky Horror Picture Show
