Top 15 Arts Events in NJ this Week: Featuring Taylor Swift, John Cleese, JCAST, ‘Moana,’ The Dogist, and more
This weekend, Taylor Swift’s movie, “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” will be showing in various movie theaters to promote her upcoming 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” The film, lasting 89 minutes, will debut the music video for her single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” along with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and lyric videos from the new album.
In a tribute to the classic Monty Python film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” John Cleese will lead a question-and-answer session following a screening at The State Theatre in New Brunswick titled “Not Dead Yet! — John Cleese and the Holy Grail at 50.” Furthermore, Disney’s popular 2016 animated film “Moana” will be screened with live musical performances re-creating the score blending Polynesian and Western music.
ProgStock, described as “The American Northeast’s Only International Progressive Rock Festival,” will return to Williams Center in Rutherford with a lineup including Steve Hogarth of Marillion, Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins, and many others. The festival features Q&A sessions with music industry professionals, jam sessions, workshops, and live streaming of main-stage performances.
Rahway’s Festival of the Moon will showcase Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, a 23-foot installation featuring detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface, accompanied by a soundscape by composer Dan Jones. A series of events such as a “Moonlight Market” and a New Jersey Symphony concert celebrating all things celestial will be part of the festival.
The final show in The Garden State Arts Foundation’s free concert series at The PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel will feature The Rascals in their 60th Anniversary Fan Appreciation Show. Original members Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish will perform alongside Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
Aerosmith’s longtime bassist Tom Hamilton and his band Close Enemies will headline a show at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The band will play a mix of Aerosmith and Babys songs along with their original material. Additionally, a new record store will open at The Garden State Plaza in Paramus, catering to music enthusiasts in the area.