As part of the Wicked press tour, the upcoming movie adaptation of the musical of the same name, Cynthia Erivo (who plays Elphaba) stopped by the Jersey City Target today, November 15th. The Target, located at 100 14th Street, is hosting the movie’s largest activation yet, with various pop-ups and immersive experiences currently set up throughout the store. Ethan Slater, who plays Boq in the movie and is dating Ariana Grande, was spotted by a Hoboken Girl reader this morning. Rumors were swirling that Ariana was also set to make an appearance, but as of this writing, there have been no sightings. Read on for what we know about Cynthia Erivo’s visit to Hudson County, New Jersey.
What We Know
The Jersey City Target is one of select stores across the country participating in the Wicked movie’s in-store events. The event is running today, November 15th, from 12PM to 6PM, with different merchandise pop-ups throughout the store. There’s a photo-op with Glinda’s magical bubble, an Oz-themed claw machine, and various other activations for customers to try out.
Read More: Jeremy Allen White Spotted in Hoboken
It was confirmed this morning that Cynthia Erivo — who portrays Elphaba in the film — was set to pay a visit to the Jersey City location and participated in a Q+A discussion with Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell as part of the activation this afternoon. Attendees were able to check in until 4PM to receive a wristband and reserve a spot for the 4:30PM Q+A.
A source shared with The Hoboken Girl earlier today that Cynthia’s co-star (and certified bestie) Ariana Grande would be joining her in her Jersey City ventures — but as of this writing, there have been no spottings. An HG reader also spotted Ethan Slater, another Wicked cast member, and Ariana’s boyfriend, around Hudson County earlier this morning.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the Wicked movie, which is set to debut in theaters on Friday, November 22nd. The anticipation isn’t unfounded — Wicked the Musical is the fourth-longest-running Broadway show of all time and has received critical praise over the years. Idina Menzel, who portrayed Elphaba in the show’s original cast, received a Tony for her performance in 2003.
Both the Broadway musical and upcoming movie are based on the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is essentially the villain origin story of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Rivo are joined by Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, and Bowen Yang in the cast.
This is not the first time a celeb was spotted at Jersey City’s Target. Taylor Swift stopped by in August 2019 before the MTV Video Music Awards, while Meghan Trainor and John Legend were spotted there in late 2022. You can read all about that in our article here.
See More: Succession Actor Dagmara Dominczyk Shares a Peek Inside Her Life as a Montclair Resident
Follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok to stay in the know with all of the Hoboken + Jersey City happenings, and sign up for our newsletter that shares all of our top stories to your inbox here.
7 New + Incoming Businesses in Hoboken and Jersey City
With the start of a new month also comes a few new businesses to check out in Hoboken and Jersey City. As we welcome March this weekend, we're rounding up six new spots that will be making their debut (or already have) in our area soon. From a cooking workshop studio in Hoboken's Monroe Center to several new food and drink locales in downtown Jersey City, Hudson County is welcoming a variety of businesses this spring. Read on for more about these seven new and incoming spots in Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey.
Hoboken
Atelier Sucré | 720 Monroe Street Suite C514
View this post on Instagram
NYC-based Atelier Sucré is the newest business in Hoboken's Monroe Center. With another location at 104 East 7th Street in the East Village, the cooking workshop studio is the vision of New York-based pastry chef Simon Herfray, per the website. At the new Hoboken studio, locals can partake in a variety of French cooking classes. Some of the items customers can make include croissants, gluten-free macarons, crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, and more. The full schedule of classes can be found here. For more about the other businesses in Hoboken's Monroe Center, check out our article here.
Read More: Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day 2025: Bar Crawl Schedule
Casa Italia Gourmet Market by Alessio's | 6th + Park Streets
With three locations across Hoboken and Jersey City Casa Italia Gourmet Market is Alessio's' newest venture. Run by Luca Infantino, Alessio's has quickly become a local staple for Italian goodies, coffee, sandwiches (PS: try our Hoboken Girl breakfast sandwich), and much more.
Massage Wonder | 119 Washington Street
The team behind Moonlight Spa at 722 Washington Street and Alley Spa at 106 5th Street in Hoboken has quietly opened up its third venture. Massage Wonder is the newest spa to make its debut on Washington Street in the former Mimosa Digital space. All three spots provide full body massages, foot reflexology, and more. Moonlight Spa and Alley Spa have become local favorites over the years for affordable massages.
Jersey City
Azal Coffee | 129 Newark Avenue
View this post on Instagram
Users in the Jersey City Reddit recently noticed signage for a new java spot in downtown Jersey City. Azal Coffee is a Michigan-based Yemeni coffee shop that will open up its first New Jersey location in Chilltown. On the menu, customers can find organic Yemeni and Arabic coffee drinks including the Azal Signature (roast coffee, coffee husks, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, sesame, + cream), as well as espresso, mojitos, tea, waffles, pastries, and more. Azal Coffee also has a Wisconsin shop in the works.
Crumbl | 306 Grove Street
View this post on Instagram
Nationally-known cookie brand Crumbl opened its first Hudson County storefront on Friday, February 28th next to Shake Shack in downtown Jersey City. While Crumbl recently introduced new menu items including cookie dough bites and cake cups, it is best known for its freshly-baked gourmet cookies, with flavors rotating weekly.
The Yard Milkshake Bar | 129 Newark Avenue
View this post on Instagram
The Yard is a milkshake bar that is set to open next to Azal Coffee on Newark Avenue. Signage was revelaed in the Jersey City Reddit this week. The Yard has 25+ locations around the United States, and serves up ice cream, milkshakes, floats, sundaes, edible cookie dough, and a variety of specialty items like mint brownie mudslide and strawberries + cream cheesecake (specials vary by location.)
See More: Nómada: A New Mexican Restaurant in Verona
Irish Bar | 123 Newark Avenue
A new Irish bar is set to take over the former Cafè Coretto space in downtown Jersey City. Details are slim as of this writing, but The Hoboken Girl has reached out to the owners and this post will be updated with any further details.
Follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok to stay in the know with all of the local news, sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and check out our events calendar.
