SAME DAY, DIFFERENT VERSE: The full cast of “Groundhog Day The Musical,” which comes to Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College from September 20-29.

It’s a case of “déjà vu all over again” — with a comedic, musical twist — when Playful Theatre Productions opens the 2024-25 Kelsey Theatre season with Groundhog Day The Musical, September 20-29, on Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC) West Windsor Campus.

Based on the 1993 movie starring Bill Murray,  Groundhog Day follows a day in the life of arrogant big-city weatherman Phil Conners, who is dreading the annual trip to Punxsutawney, Pa., to report on the town’s Groundhog Day ceremony. But his frustration with the event can’t compare to what follows, when a storm keeps him in town and he finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. Stuck in an endless loop of arrogance and cynicism amongst the quirky townsfolk, Phil must learn to take advantage of his second, third, and fourth chances to break the cycle and transform his life. more

BACK AT RICHARDSON: Jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant premieres her latest project at a performance sponsored by Princeton University Concerts on Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m.

After her Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut celebrating Toni Morrison in 2023, jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant returns on Wednesday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. to Richardson Auditorium, to premiere Book of Ayres, her latest project combining Baroque music, vaudeville, Sappho, and folkloric material of Europe and the Americas.

She will be joined by her musical collaborator Sullivan Fortner on harpsichord, keyboards, and piano, along with flutist Emi Ferguson, theorborist/lutist Dusan Balarin, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and percussionist Keita Ogawa — all renowned improvisers from genres spanning early music, jazz, folk, and electronic music. more

This October, the Princeton Garden Theatre will present a series of films to mark the spookiest time of the year.

The Garden’s programmers have scheduled a new restoration of Tim Burton’s eerie Sleepy Hollow; the screwball comedy I Married a Witch, with Veronica Lake as an immortal sorceress; the musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors preceded by a carnivorous plant presentation; the David Bowie vampire flick The Hunger as part of the Garden’s Fashion in Film series; and a documentary on Norwegian painter Edvard Munch.

For young viewers, the October $5 Family Matinee title is the animated creature feature, Hotel Transylvania.

The Garden’s Retrograde series will offer two films this October: the teen-vampire phenomenon Twilight, and the parody comic book film, The People’s Joker. The end of the month will see the return of Not So Silent Cinema providing live accompaniment to F.W. Murnau’s iconic Nosferatu, and on Halloween night the theater will present Dario Argento’s Suspiria.

The Garden Theatre is at 160 Nassau Street. Tickets are available at the box office or online at princetongardentheatre.org/specials.

A “Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Concert” on Saturday, September 14 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Princeton was hosted by the Princeton Active Circle and Chinese Musicians Association as part of Princeton’s Welcoming Week activities. Works by Guggenheim Fellow composers and musicians from well-known orchestras, Broadway, and the Silk Road Ensemble took part.

“SERENADE OF THE WETLANDS”: Delaware River Harmony, an event featuring music, poetry, and visual art that showcases the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River including TingTing Hsu, whose work is shown here, is on September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center.

Join D&R Greenway and the Artful Deposit Gallery on Thursday, September 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, for Delaware River Harmony, an evening where nature and art converge with the vibrant spirit of the community. It will be blend of music, poetry, and visual art as they showcase the talent of artists inspired by the Delaware River. Tickets are $35 per person with proceeds benefiting the Discovery Center at Point Breeze. RSVP by calling (609) 924.4646 or at drgreenway.org.

Guests will experience a relaxing coffeehouse atmosphere while enjoying refreshments courtesy of Under the Moon Café. “Along the Delaware River & Crosswicks Creek” exhibiting artists Shawn Campbell, Kate Graves, Pat Proniewski, and Alan Fetterman will give presentations about how the Delaware River inspired their art. Inspirational readings from published poets Dan Aubrey, Alan Fetterman, Lois Harrod, Derrick Owens, and Maxine Sussman will reflect the beauty of the natural environment.  more

“CELEBRATION”: Jessie Krause is among the artists at Princeton Makes, celebrating its third anniversary with an art making party on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. in the Princeton Shop[ping Center.

Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, will celebrate its third anniversary by hosting Art at Night, an evening art making party, on Saturday, September 21 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The party will take place at its artist studios and art market in the Princeton Shopping Center.

Art at Night will be a fun evening of creativity and community. The event will feature live model drawing sessions (with supplies provided), a collaborative community art project, hands-on creative activities for all ages, live music by the Mark Carson Trio, a raffle of Princeton Makes Artists’ work, and more. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. more

“WHEN THEY WERE HERE”: An immersive exhibition featuring works by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley is in the William Trent House Museum’s Visitor Center in Trenton September 21 through September 29.

The Trent House Association hosts an exhibition by local artist Beverly Keese-Kelley in the Museum’s Visitor Center, premiering on Art All Day, September 21, and continuing through September 29. The exhibit, “When They Were Here,” complements the mission of the William Trent House Museum to share authentic stories of U.S. history. The museum is located at 15 Market Street in Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. Free parking and the museum entrance are at the rear of the property off William Trent Place.

“When They Were Here” is an immersive exhibit presenting a snapshot of those whose stories may not have been told. Keese-Kelley preserves their forgotten tales through an installation of artifacts, providing a visual journey into the past. With flashes of historical moments of untold and abandoned stories about the African American experience during enslavement and beyond, these stories are preserved and the contributions of those who lived them are celebrated.  more

HOBART ART SHOW: A sculpture by Steven Snyder is shown in the meadow at Steinbeiser Farm in Fenchtown. Works by contemporary artists from the Delaware River region will be on view in the event running September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The Hobart Art Show will return for its seventh consecutive year on September 28 and 29 and October 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The event showcases works by more than 25 of the region’s leading contemporary artists from the Delaware River region.

It is held on Steinbeiser Farm, a 26-acre property owned by Paul Steinbeiser, a prominent landscape designer and stone mason who has worked in the Hunterdon and Bucks County, Pa., communities for decades.  more