UNION, NJ — Kean Stage has announced select performances from its 2022-2023 season. Additional shows will be announced at a later date.
“We’re thrilled to invite you to the start of our new season. Our current listing of shows reflects diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, a hallmark of Kean Stage’s mission. And don’t think this is all; there’s still more to come,” Kean Stage manager Steve Cochran said.
Kean Stage’s 2022-2023 season will begin with “Hitting New Heights with Mandy Gonzalez and Javier Muñoz” on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at Enlow Recital Hall, 215 North Ave. in Hillside. The two stars of “In the Heights” and “Hamilton,” Gonzalez and Muñoz, join voices to celebrate Broadway’s hottest composers, from Stephen Schwartz to Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Hitting New Heights” features songs from “Wicked” to “Hamilton” and beyond.
Get into the holiday spirit when the Grammy Award–winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer performs at Enlow Recital Hall on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, Chanticleer is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling more than one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.
On Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m, Grammy Award–winning musician, singer-songwriter and recording artist José Feliciano will perform at Wilkins Theatre, 1000 Morris Ave. in Union. Feliciano is recognized as the first Latin artist to effectively cross over into the English music market, opening the door for other artists who now play an important role in the American music industry. His Christmas song “Feliz Navidad” has now become a mainstay worldwide with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers placing it among the 25 greatest holiday songs of the century.
Step Afrika! will perform at Wilkins Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. Step Afrika!, the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional Western and Southern African dances, and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation.
The world’s most famous brass group, Canadian Brass, will perform at Enlow Recital Hall on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Each Canadian Brass concert shows their full range, from trademark Baroque and Dixieland tunes to new compositions and arrangements created especially for them — from formal classical presentation to music served up with lively dialogue and theatrical effects. The hallmark of any Canadian Brass performance is entertainment, spontaneity, virtuosity and, most of all, fun — but never at the expense of the music.
London’s Kingdom Choir will perform at Enlow Recital Hall on Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Kingdom Choir first attracted the world’s attention when the group performed its show-stopping rendition of “Stand By Me” in front of a worldwide television audience of more than two billion at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018. Since that day, the choir’s infectious joy and spirit, matched only by their raw gospel spiritual style, has taken them around the world, including a debut North American tour in 2019.
Tickets for the Kean Stage 2022-23 season can be purchased online at keanstage.com or by contacting the box office at 908-737-7469. The box office is currently open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Photos Courtesy of Opus 3, Universal Attractions, Jati Lindsay, Nina Yoshida Nelson and Andrew Whitton