Spring theater season is in full bloom! The Garden State’s got a great roster of creatively reimagined classics, thought-provoking new works and world premieres.
Here are a few to put on your can’t-miss list.
Photo: Trevor Callahan
The Niceties
Through April 19
Centenary Stage Company, Hackettstown
Part of Centenary’s professional theater series, Niceties unfolds the story of an Ivy League professor who is challenged by a grad student unhappy with the teacher’s perspective on her work. A routine office visit becomes threateningly passionate conversation about privilege, politics and how personal history shapes our worldview. As each defends their stance, this resonant story lingers well after the curtain falls.
Photo: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
1776
Through May 2
Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn
History is set to a lively score for this musical that took home three Tony Awards when it opened on Broadway in the late ’60s. The dramatic turns that lead to the signing of the Declaration of Independence unfold with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and other forefathers hashing out our country’s future.
The Mountaintop
April 16-May 3
Mile Square Theatre, Hoboken
This Pulitzer Prize winner by Katori Hall tells the moving, fictional story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on Earth, as an encounter with a hotel employee expands into a spiritual epiphany. In the sometimes funny, sometimes intense and infinitely inspiring story, Hall paints a poignant picture of King’s private self, expounding on his hopes, his fears and the faith and courage that propelled him throughout his life.
Sins of the Mother
Through May 3
New Jersey Repertory Company, Long Branch
In a tight-knit fishing town in Massachusetts, a young man returns home searching for answers about his past. A web of secrets unravels throughout this story that contemplates identity, loyalty and the desire to belong. —Jessica Hammer
& Sons
April 16-May 10
Luna Stage, West Orange
Work and brotherhood are the emotional background of this world premiere work by Jack Angelo Cummings, winner of the 2025 Kirk Prize for Best New Play. Filled with sharply funny dialogue, this production looks at the sometimes awkward ways in which men find their way to respect and friendship.
My Lord, What A Night
April 28-May 17
George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick
In 1937 America, segregation was in full effect, prohibiting African Americans from many rights, including the opportunity to secure lodging when they traveled. This, of course, included many performers whose livelihoods required them to travel. Such was the case when world-famous contralto Marian Anderson was turned away from hotels in Princeton—and the town’s most famous citizen, Albert Einstein, opened his home to her. This dramatic production is based on these true events and the unique friendship that developed as a result of them.
Mrs. Christie
May 6-May 31
McCarter Theatre, Princeton
A fictional Agatha Christie superfan unfolds her own mystery in this whodunit that blends historical events with modern fictional accounts. When the famed sleuth disappeared in 1926 without explanation, then reappeared nearly two weeks later, the public was hungry for answers. Explanations never came. But in this comedic play a century later, Lucy ventures to Christie’s estate to uncover the truth. It toggles between the past and present, paralleling the journey of self-discovery in both women’s lives.
