A 'Sunday in the Park' and more things to do this weekend at the Shore and beyond

Axelrod Performing Arts Center, in collaboration with Grind Arts Company, presents a bold reimagining of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Sunday in the Park With George."

Inspired by Georges Seurat's painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," Eamon Foley's dance-forward reimagining opens Friday and runs through March 24. Graham Phillips and Talia Suskauer star.

"Sunday" won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize and garnered 10 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. As George completes his most ambitious work, the artist struggles to create meaningful art and meaningful connections with those he's closest, including his lover, Dot.

Misunderstood by the artistic community, George has the capacity to engage with the subjects on his canvas, but not with the people in his life. A century later, Seurat's great-grandson — also an artist named George — is lost and in search of direction. He finds his path forward, illuminated by the color and light of the past.

The Gallery on Grant, located at the Axelrod, celebrates the work of Seurat in honor of "Sunday in the Park With George." Highlighting paintings from five local artists, the exhibit celebrates Seurat’s use of Pointillism in his most famous painting. The gallery exhibit opens at 6 p.m. Friday and will run through May 1.

“Each of the showcased works is created in the spirit of Impressionism or specifically uses the technique of Pointillism and pays homage to Axelrod’s production of Sondheim’s 'Sunday in the Park with George' as it reflects the performance’s use of light and color,” said Randye Krupnick, art director for the Gallery on Grant.

The New Jersey artists showcased are Arlene Mollow, Marsha Heller, Andrea Geller, Léni Paquet-Morante and Leslie Backlund.

Go: "Sunday in the Park With George," Friday to March 24, Axelrod Performing Arts Center, 100 Grant Ave., Deal Park, $37 to $70; 732-531-9106, ext. 14, axelrodartscenter.com. For information on the exhibit, visit axelrodartscenter.com/the-gallery-on-grant.

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'Irish Serenade' in Ocean County

Songs and tales of the Emerald Isle will spring to life during “An Irish Serenade with Jessica Carroll.” The singer and musician will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Long Beach Island branch of Ocean County Library. Carroll also will perform at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the Stafford branch.

She will lead her audiences in a tribute to Ireland in story and song.

"I got my start singing about 15 years ago, performing for local senior centers and retirement homes,” the Riverside, resident said in a news release. “I worked as a nanny and helped to raise many children, which led me to start entertaining and sharing my songs and stories with various libraries.”

Registration is recommended for either free program.

Go: "An Irish Serenade with Jessica Carroll," 2 p.m. Saturday, Long Beach Island branch, 217 South Central Ave., Surf City; 609-494-2480. Register at http://tinyurl.com/OclLbiCarroll. Also 1 p.m. Thursday, March 14, Stafford branch, 129 N. Main Street, Manahawkin; 609-597-3381, Register at http://tinyurl.com/OclStaffordCarroll.

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Comedy at the Basie in Red Bank

Joe Gatto is best known from the hit TV shows “Impractical Jokers” and “The Misery Index.” While he has toured with Jokers live comedy show around the world, he brings his "Night of Comedy" to the Count Basie Center for the Arts on Saturday.

Gatto is passionate about supporting anti-bullying organizations and animal rescue initiatives, according to press materials. He happily advocates for the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” movement with his nonprofit Gatto Pups and Friends, which operates on Long Island — catering to mainly senior and disabled pups.

Gatto co-hosts the podcast “Two Cool Moms” on the iHeart Radio Podcast Network, where he dispenses sage motherly advice to fans who write in with their dilemmas. He also lives his life by a code of pastry and family, loving his wife, two children and cannoli.

Go: Joe Gatto's Night of Comedy, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, $29 to $79; 732-842-9000, thebasie.org.

'Beat Chef David Burke' in Union Beach

Have you always wanted to be in the audience of one of those cooking competitions you see on television?

If so, here's your chance. Three chefs have signed on to participate in "Beat Chef David Burke," a contest taking place on three upcoming Sundays at The GOAT by David Burke in Union Beach. Attendees will enjoy a three-course dinner while watching "Chopped" Champion Lauren Van Liew, "Man v. Food" host Casey Webb and "Next Level Chef" competitor Alexandra Donnadio take on Burke.

The chefs will use a mystery ingredient to create dishes on the spot and will be judged by a panel of three, including two people randomly selected from the audience.

Go: 4 p.m. March 10 and 24, and 4 p.m. April 7, $55 each day; The GOAT by David Burke, 1411 Route 36, Union Beach; 732-264-5222, thegoatbydb.com.

A Little Shakespeare at Two River

The King of Navarre and his classmates have sworn an oath to hit the books and swear off dating for three years. Can their vow survive the arrival of the brilliant Princess of France and her charming friends?

Back for the 11th year as Two River’s most popular education program, A Little Shakespeare presents an abridged version of Shakespeare’s comedy "Love's Labour's Lost."

This raucous celebration of head versus heart is directed and designed by theater professionals, and performed and supported backstage by high school students. Learn more about the show here.

The show runs at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25, $20 for kids under 12.

Go: "Love's Labour's Lost," Two River Theater, 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank; 732-345-1400, tworivertheater.org.

Wedding vendor showcase in Loveladies

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences invites the public to meet wedding vendors at the foundation's first Preferred Wedding Vendor Showcase from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in LBIF's Main Gallery.

In addition to meeting vendors, you also can tour the grounds and facility. There will be music ands DJs, along with bridal gowns, accessories, photo booths and more.

Registration is required for this free event. More information is at lbifoundation.org/events.

Go: Preferred Wedding Vendor Showcase, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, LBIF Main Gallery, 120 Long Beach Blvd., Loveladies; 609-494-1241, lbifoundation.org.

Pulitzer winner's work on exhibit in New Brunswick

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Michelle V. Agins was the second Black woman ever hired as a staff photographer at The New York Times. She built her career at a time when photo editors gave very few assignments to women — much less to women of color.

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers-New Brunswick presents "Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller," on view through Dec. 8, featuring 66 photographs taken during her 35 years at The Times.

Her groundbreaking assignments offer some of the most important documentation of race relations, celebrity culture, sports, spirituality, and economic disparity in America. Agins visits the museum for an artist talk and reception on April 21. For details, visit go.rutgers.edu/artisttalk0421.

“Agins’s practice is as a visual storyteller, with a powerful humanizing vision,” said Maura Reilly, the Zimmerli’s director, who organized the exhibition with New York Times picture editor Maura Foley. “With a keen eye toward narrative and aesthetic detail, Agins’ images ... bridge the gap between photojournalism and fine art photography. The exhibition itself aligns with one of the museum’s many missions, which is to present work by underrepresented artists, and to offer them a platform to share their talents with our diverse audiences.”

"Storyteller" includes early pictures of the protests surrounding the murder of Black teenager Yusef Hawkins in 1989, and the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Recent images spotlight the Kamala Harris campaign, and portraits of artist and activist Stormé DeLarverie, a Stonewall Uprising survivor. For more information about the artist, visit nytimes.com/by/michelle-v-agins

Go: "Michelle V. Agins: Storyteller," through Dec. 8, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St. (at George Street), College Avenue Campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, free; zimmerli.rutgers.edu.

Sarah Griesemer 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 theater, Irish music,