Get Out: Music, Theater, Ballet and the Revolutionary War

It’s Thursday, and you’ve got no idea what you’ll do for the weekend.

Patch is coming to the rescue. We’ve got the best bets for your done-work-outta-here time. Check our picks for the activities to hit.

Thursday and Friday 

 • Drop the Middlesex County Vocational School for a performance of William Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors," Thursday and Friday, and again April 7 and April 8. Performed by the Middlesex County School of Performing Arts, the shows begin at 7 p.m. and last for 90 minutes Tickets are $12 for general admission ($15 at the door,) $5 for all students and senior citizens and free for teachers and administrators, K-12, and performing Arts professionals To reserve tickets or for further information call 732-254-8700 or email aladrenm@mcvts.net.  

Friday

• The Russian National Ballet Company will perform “Romeo & Juliet,”at the State Theater, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. This Russian company of 50 dances will portray William Shakespeare’s star-crossed duo of Romeo and Juliet, set to a score by Tchaikovsky, at 8 p.m. For tickets (from $32) and more information, visit statetheatrenj.org.

• Musical Performance by Singer/Songwriter William Hart Strecker accompanied by Bill Gibson on bass along with special guests at the Cranbury Inn Restaurant, 21 N Main St, Cranbury, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Concert is free and is open to families. For more about William Hart Strecker, go to his website  www.williamhartstrecker.com.

• Tim Eriksen, called "the best ballad singer of his generation" by the BBC, will perform American music at the Peddie School, at 201 S Main St, Hightstown, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.peddie.org

 Saturday

• Environmental Fair at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Hightstown at 9 a.m. Browse exhibits about organic gardening, crafts, bird feeders, worm composting, and many more displays to help the average family protect and enjoy the environment. This free event, to be held in the church’s gymnasium, will also feature puppet shows for children.

• Cranbury Jazzfest at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, 22 S. Main St, Cranbury, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Refreshments will be served free of charge by the Friends of the Library at this musical event.

• Come watch the First New Jersey Regiment reenactment group train and prepare for battle from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Visitor Center Museum in Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville. There is no cost for admission. For information, call 609-737-9303 or visit www.1nj.org.

• ArtsPower National Touring Theatre presents its delightful musical "Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Class Clown" at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre at 2 and 4 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road. To view clips of the show, click here. Tickets are $8 for students and children, and $10 for adults. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333.

• 5K Run Run and 1 Mile Walk: A special 1-mile walk will be held at 9:30 a.m., with commemorative ribbons for all finishers. Start and finish in Washington Crossing State Park between Route 29 and the river at Route 546. Register race day for $20.  Registration for the 1-mile walk is $15 on race day.  Register online at www.active.com or download mail-in race forms from www.canalwatch.org or call 609-989-1931. 

Saturday

• “Spring Awakening,” at the State Theater in New Brunswick. The winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the show explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion you will never forget. 

Sunday

• Get down, get the blues and get funky when the Cobra Brothers Band returns to the East Brunswick Public Library on Sunday, April 3, at 1:30 p.m. You’re going to love the selection of Funk, R&B, Blues, Rock and Country that this four-man band will bring to the stage. The current lineup includes Danny “Blues Dog” Perini on guitar and vocals, David Mason on harmonica and vocals, Paul Yenaff on bass, keyboards and vocals, and Matthew Teitelman on the drums. Enjoy music from artists such as T-Bone Walker, Louis Prima, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn and more during what promises to be a terrific afternoon of great music. This event free is sponsored by Friends of the Library.

 All Weekend

• Eavesdrop on small town gossip, playful bickering, and the triumphs and tragedies of six Southern women when the Pennington Players’ “Steel Magnolias” comes to Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre. Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $14 for adults; $12 for seniors, and $10 for students and children. Tickets may be purchased online at www.kelseytheatre.org or by calling the Kelsey Box Office at 609-570-3333.

• “A Mid Summer’s Night Dream,” at the Crossroads Theater in New Brunswick. William Shakespeare’s dreamlike comedy of starry-eyed lovers, mischief-making fairies, and a magical forest is brought to life by the BAMA Theatre Company (alumni from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Not the fluffy fairy tale you thought—eight actors magically morph into everything from a caustic duke to a  mischievous sprite, all out of one suitcase.