ENTERTAINMENT

#WeekendFunSJ: Halloween edition

The Courier-Post
The Bay Atlantic Symphony season opens on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Landis Theater.

Bay Atlantic Symphony


The Bay Atlantic Symphony opens its 2016-2017 at the Landis Theater in Vineland on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The concert, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature music by Tchaikovsky and Mozart and will also feature soprano Natalie Conte, mezzo-soprano Jessica Renfro, tenor Gran Wilson and bass-baritone Robert Cantrell, with the Choral Arts of Southern Jersey and Stockton Chorale.

Before the concert, at 7 p.m., there will be a “Pre-Concert Conversation with the Maestro” lecture.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (866) 811-4111, or by visiting The SPOT marketplace located at 618 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland. The Landis Theater is located at 830 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland. For more information visit bayatlanticsymphony.org.

— Shannon Eblen

Rap star Wiz Khalifa headlines Power House 2016 at the Wells Fargo Center Friday night.

Power House 2016

Oh my gosh, it’s Halloween weekend. Sooo awkward when you’re an adult, right?

(Maybe not a short adult. Only time of the year I legit wish I was negative five inches. Would absolutely love to throw on a costume and collect some candy.)

So what are the plans, friend? Going to throw caution and good sense to the wind with a risqué/controversial/really, really obscurely funny Halloween costume and attend one of your friend’s shindigs?

Talk about bobbing for boring apples. Yawn.

No, you’re a full grown person and you should be doing something fun this weekend. Adults can totally have a good time, you guys!

Here, check this out: Wiz Khalifa, Trey Songz, Meek Mill and more headline the Power House 2016 concert Friday at the Wells Fargo Center. Show time is 6 p.m. and tickets are $19.99 to $150.99. For more information, go to wellsfargocenterphilly.com.

— Matt Chimento

Prepare to scare Friday night at the Garden State Discovery Museum’s Halloween Hootenanny.

Halloween Hootenanny

Ugh, I get it, universe: I’m destined to become my father. And it’s happening way, way much faster than I ever thought possible.

It’s a small miracle I don’t wear my pants belted above my belly button. Seriously. When is that going to happen? How much more time do I have before I start wearing my pants that high? I NEED TO KNOW.

But yeah, I’m grumpy. Just the other day I ranted for a good 20 minutes to my poor wife about the suffocating imposition of the Halloween curfew.

So restrictive. Paternalistic. 20 miles walked to school in the snow, and the such.

Halloween is about dressing up, searching out spookiness, celebrating the coolest anti-holiday of them all.

Do all of those things with the family Friday night at the Garden State Discovery Museum’s Halloween Hootenanny. Come in your best costume prepared to dance and expect hair-raising exhibits, yummy food, and a trunk-or-treat in the museum’s parking lot.

The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10. For more information, go to discoverymuseum.com.

— Matt Chimento

The annual Philadelphia Boo at the Zoo event is a frighteningly good time for the entire family.

Boo at the Zoo

Definitely wasn’t planning for everything this week to be about Halloween.

I had good intentions.

Was going to maybe focus on a gala opening. Or maybe a horticultural society meeting. Something like that.

….

Aw, you got me. It was always going to be Halloween.

It always is Halloween, for me. At least in my heart and mind. And in all other regards.

This Saturday and Sunday marks Boo at the Zoo, a frightful takeover of the Philadelphia Zoo and an opportunity for you and the entire family to dress up and confuse the animals even more than usual.

On deck this year: trick-or-treat safari, a trip through the “Extinction Graveyard,” a hay bale maze, crafts, activities and so much more.

Zoo hours this weekend are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For complete event details, click on over to philadelphiazoo.org.

— Matt Chimento

Get a (slightly) early jump on Halloween Sunday at Wheaton Arts during the venue’s holiday celebration.

Hallo-Wheaton

Halloween is inherently free.

But shouldn’t it be?

Imagine if we were, as a society, to devolve to the point where the haunted holiday meant an exchange of currency?

How corporate. How distressing.

Everyone trick-or-treating would be asked to contribute funds (a candy bar in the pillow sack, a small donation made in exchange). Costumes would be sponsored by corporate entities, as in: this Spiderman brought to you by Ford.

So weird. So un-Halloween.

Fortunately, many local institutions recognize the good in keeping money (and all of its associated complications) away from Halloween, which is exactly as it should be.

The Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, 1501 Glasstown Road in Millville, is one such organization. Their “Hallo-Wheaton” event on Sunday is an investment-free affair.

Beginning at 1 and stretching through 5 p.m., Hallo-Wheaton invites children to trick-or-treat throughout the Center grounds, while stopping along the way to take photos with some of the season’s most celebrated ghouls, including Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, the Grimm Witches, and many more.

Meanwhile, as an aside to all of the candy gathering and thrill seeking, the Wheaton Arts’ main stage will be terrified by a program of festive skits and scenes meant to make the blood race.

(Or, if you’re a true Halloweenie, set the mood and atmosphere.)

All told, this is a fun day outdoors and a perfect transition into the trick-or-treating to come. For more information about the event, go to wheatonarts.org.

— Matt Chimento

Rowan student Courtney Jarmush as Lucy in "Dracula," which will be performed at Rowan Oct. 20-30.

'Dracula'

Rowan University Department of Theatre and Dance is opening its season with a true horror classic, just in time for Halloween.

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is filled with drama, suspense and eternal themes such as facing fears. The Rowan production will feature fight choreography, blood and other special effects.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 through Saturday, Oct. 29 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 30. Performances will take place in Tohill Theatre, located in Bunce Hall on the campus of Rowan University, Route 322 in Glassboro.

For tickets and more information, call (856) 256-4545 or visit rowan.tix.com.

— Shannon Eblen

See "Beauty and the Beast" at the Voorhees Theatre Company and take a selfie with Belle and Mrs. Potts.

'Beauty and the Beast'

I’m going to propose a rule for the consideration of the official International Tea Party Society: all tea parties should be universally, uniformly, unilaterally (so like, no exceptions, guys) enchanted.

Magical.

Mystical.

Things floating and dishes talking and songs breaking out randomly and elaborate productions.

Wouldn’t all tea parties be much improved? Wouldn’t everyone love the new format?

Find out for yourself, firsthand, this weekend during an enchanted tea party with the cast of Voorhees Theatre Company’s “Beauty & the Beast.” Performances are Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.

"Beauty and the Beast" lovers also can attend an Enchanted Tea Party at noon before Sunday's 2 p.m. performance. Pose for pictures with Mrs. Potts (she’s a selfie machine, you’ll come to learn) and clink good China with Gaston (so dreamy).

Show tickets are $15 and admission to the pre-party is $10. Performances will be held at Voorhees Middle School, 1000 Holly Oak Drive, Voorhees.

For more information, go to voorheestheatre.org.

— Matt Chimento

A scene from the 1986 film "Little Shop of Horrors" starring Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn. The story will take to the stage in two different South Jersey productions over Halloween weekend. (Gannett News Service, Murry Close)

'Little Shop of Horrors' 

A mysterious plant may be able to change a florist's life...but at what cost?

Celebrate Halloween theatrically, with two different performances of the ghoulish musical "Little Shop of Horrors."

Rutgers Camden will perform the musical 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26 through Saturday, Oct. 29 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30 at the Walter K. Gordon Theater on campus. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Campus Center or by calling (856) 225-6211. General admission is $15. Tickets will also be sold at the box office up to two hours before curtain time. For more information visit finearts.camden.rutgers.edu.

"Little Shop of Horrors" will also be performed at Atlantic City's Dante Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, Saturday, Oct. 9, Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 and 2 p.m. on Sundays, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. The production is presented by JRL Productions in association with Musical Theater International and Dante Hall Theater. Dante Hall is located at 14 North Mississippi Ave.in Atlantic City. For more information, call (609) 626-3890 or visit stockton.edu/dante.

— Shannon Eblen

The Psycho Trail Home Haunt in Blackwood offers a free alternative to the Halloween attraction season.

Psycho Trail

So, it’s Halloween season.

Which means we’re all trying to be scared.

Or feel scared.

This is the time of year that challenges all of us to face down our inhibitions, our secret reservations.

Boo! And all that good stuff, etc.

What may end up feeling foreign, or un-festive: you will more than likely need to have your wallet open, your patience in check if you’re hoping to experience a greater South Jersey haunt in time for the holiday.

Think crazy prices, long, twisting lines leading to the attraction.

And if you’re the type to be running cost-analysis scenarios in your mind (what does the ticket value need to be, for example, in order to justify a 90-minute wait in dipping temperatures), you won’t need to do more than some simple math in order to determine that the Psycho Trail Home Haunt in Blackwood is an all-around deal.

Rather than try to price every jump scare and slight fright, you can spend your time focusing on the high level of detail that goes into making the Trail a must-see Halloween destination season-to-season.

You can always drop big time money on a larger-scale activity (there is, for instance, no shortage of tour or walk-through to keep you on your toes), or you can look to celebrate the occasion in its simplest form while staying on the cheap.

For more information about the Psycho Trail Home Haunt, visit psychotrail.com.

— Matt Chimento

Creamy Acres’ Night of Terror is still the top South Jersey haunted attraction.

'Night of Terror'

So, that seriously went pretty fast.

The month of October, I mean.

We were all stoked. Summer was brutal and we needed reprieve. October was more than up to the task – it delivered festivals, pumpkin flavored foods and drinks, scary movies, costume parties with friends.

A ton of seasonal fun.

You may have also spent time in line at a regional haunted attraction. Walked through a house of horrors. Fended jump scares while being towed by tractor on a twisted hayride.

That’s great.

Cute, even.

Now it’s time to close out Halloween with a bang.

The whole, “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best” sentiment.

Creamy Acres’ Night of Terror in Mullica Hill is the premiere scary attraction for good reason. This year, pick your veritable poison: Slaughter Cave, the Cornfield Maze, Dark Dreams, Head Hunters, Zombie Mayhem and Ride of Terror all await.

For schedule and pricing information, go to nightofterror.com.

— Matt Chimento