Plays In the Park

Plays in the Park is a hidden gem in Edison. They put on three plays each summer and the quality of the theater is outstanding.
Patrons line up infront of the ticket box — some coming as early as 2 in the afternoon — with their own lawn chairs and wait until 5:30, the time they start selling tickets. There are no reserved seats so the earlier you get to the park, the better seat you’ll get.
Plays start at 8:30 and usually run for 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the play. During the intermission you can visit one of the 3 snack stands they have and buy some refreshments (cash only).
Parking is first come, first served in a large field near the theater. Make sure to remember where you parked because you will be walking back to the car with a lawn chair in the dark.
I’ve been going to Plays in the Park every summer since I was 6 and I will continue to go because of the quality of the plays and the friendly people.

I love Plays In The Park. I wish I lived closer. And I wish they had more plays with ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters.

One of my favorite summer activities! For only $ 7 you are guaranteed to see a great production. I have seen Spamalot, The Wedding Singer and The Producers and all of the shows have been outstanding. I usually attend during the week, I imagine that it would be much more crowded on a weekend night. My advice is to get to the box office early, purchase your ticket when the box office opens (5:30pm) and place your chair down. You will have a few hours of time to kill in between so you can walk around the beautiful and big park, or head down to the mall next door for some food and shopping. Since I am an ice cream fan, I would recommend What’s the Scoop a few miles away in downtown Metuchen. If you are hungry during the show, there is a concession stand with Italian ice, popcorn and candies available for purchase. Don’t forget your bug spray, the mosquitos are not forgiving.

Line starts forming at 5 PM. Box office open at 5:30. Excellent production. I have seen Les Mis, The Wedding Singer and Spamalot. This is the 50^th anniversary of the Plays in the Park. The cost is $ 7 for adults, $ 5 for persons 60 years or older and free to children under 12. You must bring yoru own chair. I suggest a standard lawn chair as a beach chair is much lower and it was difficult to see the stage. You do not need to be there when the box office apens as the place houses 3000 people but if you wait you get the best seats. There are bathrooms and concession stands.

I’ve been attending Plays in the Park for the past five years and I have yet to walk away disappointed. The acting is good, the stage set-​up is simple, but creative. The box office opens at 5:30pm and you can place your seat (yes, you must bring your own lawn chair) on the lawn immediately after purchasing your ticket. If you have some time on your hands, you can go there when the box office opens, buy your ticket, place your chair and get your hand stamped so that you can leave the area and return before the show gets started at 8:30pm. As usual, I’m running later than I’d like so I have always arrived about an hour before the show and depending on the play and the day of the week, I still have been able to get a good spot. You can bring your own food or goodies. I have brought take-​out as well as my own home cooked food, but they also have popcorn, cotton candy, etc. available there for purchase in the case that you would like a snack. Overall, I really like attending at least one play per summer. It’s something nice to do given that you are outside and have the dark sky and stars above as the backdrop.