FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Contact: Chris Boneau / Michelle Farabaugh / Colleen Donahue
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Continuing the Tony Award-Recognized Institution’s
2024-2025 Season and Marking 86 Years
in Millburn, New Jersey
Paper Mill Playhouse
Announces Full Casting and Creative Team for
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical
Rehearsals Begin Next Monday, November 4
Performances Begin Wednesday, November 27
Through Sunday, December 29, 2024
Opening Night is Sunday, December 1
MILLBURN, NJ – October 30, 2024 – Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Executive Director), recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is pleased to announce full casting and the creative team for Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical, the next production in Paper Mill’s 2024-2025 season.
Directed by Paper Mill’s Mark S. Hoebee, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas will begin performances on Wednesday, November 27 ahead of a Sunday, December 1 opening night. The run will continue through Sunday, December 29 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ).
The cast, which begins rehearsals next Monday, November 4, will feature Keely Beirne (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) as Judy Haynes, Ashley Blanchet (Waitress) as Betty Haynes, Max Clayton (The Music Man) as Bob Wallace, Stacia Fernandez (Mamma Mia!) as Martha Watson, Casey Garvin (Some Like It Hot) as Phil Davis, Reagan Pender (The Who’s Tommy) as Ralph Sheldrake, Lance Roberts (The Music Man) as General Henry Waverly; Savannah Austin (National Tour of Annie) and Annie Piper Braverman (Frozen) sharing the role of Susan Waverly; and ensemble members Claire Avakian, Lincoln Belford, Allison Blanchard, Lamont Brown, Sabrina Brush, Rhagan Carter, Sydney Chow, Kelly Gleason, Candice Hatakeyama, Drew King, Ryan Lambert, Cory Lingner, Alex Llorca, Carina-Kay Louchiey, Brady Miller, Larkin Reilly, Buzz Roddy, and Grace Marie Rusnica.
White Christmas features original Broadway choreography Randy Skinner being reproduced by Kristyn Pope; original scenic design by Anna Louizos being coordinated by and with additional design by Kelly James Tighe; original costume design by Carrie Robbins being coordinated by and with additional design by Antonio Consuegra; sound design by Matt Kraus; and hair, wig & makeup design by The Wig Associates (Krystal Belleza & Will Vicari). The Music Director is Cynthia Meng and Production Stage Manager is Melissa Chacón. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting.
Based on the classic 1954 holiday film, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is a Technicolor Broadway musical extravaganza. Two army buddies enlist the help of their showbiz pals to put on a show at a picturesque Vermont inn and end up finding their perfect mates. This incredible score contains some of Berlin’s most popular tunes including “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean?,” ‘’Count Your Blessings,” and the title song, “White Christmas.”
Currently playing at Paper Mill, the first homegrown production of the beloved Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys concludes its highly successful run this Sunday, November 3. Following Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the 2024-2025 season will continue with the new musical Mystic Pizza (January 29-February 23); the world premiere musical Take The Lead (March 29-April 27); and Disney’s The Little Mermaid (May 29-June 29).
ACCESSIBILITY
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Sunday, December 22 at 1:30pm and Saturday, December 28 at 1:30pm.
OPEN-CAPTIONED & ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, December 28 at 1:30pm and Sunday, December 29 at 7:00pm.
ABOUT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Executive Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including The Great Gatsby, Disney’s Newsies, Bandstand, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Les Misérables (25th Anniversary production). The theater is also the home to an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation’s premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
BIOGRAPHIES
KEELY BEIRNE (Judy Haynes). This Jersey girl is thrilled to be returning to Paper Mill Playhouse for the holidays! Broadway: Moulin Rouge, Disney’s Frozen and Aladdin. Regional: Paper Mill (The Sting), PCLO, Broadway Sacramento, Kansas City Rep, The Rev. Tours: West Side Story (Anita), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Brenda), and Memphis. www.keelybeirne.com, @keel_b
ASHLEY BLANCHET (Betty Haynes) is thrilled to be back home at PMP for the holiday season! Previous seasons include The Sound of Music (Maria), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Ella), Some Enchanted Evening, Beehive, and Ever After. Broadway: Waitress, Frozen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Annie, Memphis. Select Regional: Miss New Hampshire in Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter (Atlantic Theater), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (The Muny), and Kate Mullins/Charlotte Cardoza in this season’s Encores! production of Titanic. Film/TV: “The Good Fight,” “The Equalizer,” “Wonder Pets!,” “The Noggins 123,” “Better Nate Than Ever,” and Raquelle in the short animated film Are You Okay? by WonderMedia. Instagram: @a_Blanchet
MAX CLAYTON (Bob Wallace). Broadway: Chicago (Billy Flynn); The Music Man (Harold Hill standby); Moulin Rouge!; Hello, Dolly!; Pretty Woman; Bandstand (Chita Rivera Award nomination); Something Rotten!; On the Town; Gigi. NY: A Chorus Line (Don, Encores!). Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse (Bandstand); Signature Theatre (Riff in West Side Story—Helen Hayes Award nomination); Ogunquit Playhouse (Crazy for You, Bobby Child; Singin’ in the Rain, Don Lockwood); The Kennedy Center; The Muny; PCLO; Lyric Opera of Chicago. TV/Film: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Dear Edward (Apple TV+), White Noise (Netflix), PBS Great Performances. BFA: CCM. For my incredible family! @maxmclayton
STACIA FERNANDEZ (Martha Watson). Delighted to be back at Paper Mill, where she appeared as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast and in The Sound of Music, Annie, and Bandstand. Broadway: Mamma Mia!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Swing, Tom Sawyer, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Beauty and the Beast. Regional: Reed/Fairfax in Jane Eyre, Schneider in Cabaret, Drowsy in Drowsy Chaperone, Reno in Anything Goes, Diana in Next to Normal, Adelaide, Mrs. Anna, Grizabella. Film vocals: Enchanted, Shaggy Dogg, Captain America, Frozen 2. Co-owner of StreamingMusicals.com and cowriter of The Loop; A Smalltowne Christmas; and Happy Birthday, Anna Loggins. Visit me at staciafernandez.com or @StaciaFernandez.
CASEY GARVIN (Phil Davis). Casey’s first professional job was Peter Pan at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2010 playing Nana the dog and dancing in the ensemble, so he is thrilled to return to Paper Mill Playhouse starring as Phil Davis in White Christmas! He’s performed on Broadway in Some Like It Hot, Mrs. Doubtfire, King Kong, Miss Saigon, Disaster!, and Bullets Over Broadway, on the first national of West Side Story, and in the most prestigious regional theaters across the country. @caseygarvin
REAGAN PENDER (Ralph Sheldrake). Paper Mill Playhouse: Jersey Boys (Joe Pesci). Broadway: The Who’s Tommy. Select Regional: The Who’s Tommy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Grand Night for Singing, Damn Yankees. Proud Ball State alum. @Keanu_Reags
LANCE ROBERTS (General Henry Waverly) has been in the original Broadway casts of The Pee-wee Herman Show (King of Cartoons), Sister Act, Ghost (Hospital Ghost), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (with Scarlett Johansson), Act One (with Tony Shalhoub), Finding Neverland, My Fair Lady, Sunset Boulevard (with Glenn Close), The Music Man (with Hugh Jackman), and I Need That (with Danny DeVito). He was last at Paper Mill in The Honeymooners. He created and played Jafar for seven years in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disney California Adventure. Favorite roles include Old Deuteronomy, Daddy Warbucks, and Four-Eyed Moe. TV: “Poker Face,” “Blacklist,” “Blue Bloods,” “Pose,” “SVU,” and 40 others on IMDb.com. Instagram: @lanceontheloose
SAVANNAH AUSTIN (Susan Waverly) is thrilled to make her debut at Paper Mill. Recent credits: Annie National Tour – US and China (July); Matilda – CAT Theatre (Matilda); “Abbott Elementary.” @savannahbanana_12
ANNIE PIPER BRAVERMAN (Susan Waverly). This Millburn native is thrilled to be making her Paper Mill debut after growing up in its audience! Theatre: Frozen Broadway tour (Young Anna). Television/Film: “SNL,” “What Would You Do?,” Bench Seats. @anniepiperbraverman
MARK S. HOEBEE (Director, Producing Artistic Director) joined the artistic team at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2000. Under his leadership, Paper Mill was presented with the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2016 and launched such noteworthy projects as the world premieres of Newsies, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Productions; The Great Gatsby; Honeymoon in Vegas; Bandstand; A Bronx Tale; The Wanderer; Ever After; The Honeymooners; My Very Own British Invasion; Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with the Really Useful Group; and The Sting starring Harry Connick, Jr.; as well as the American premieres of the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, working alongside Cameron Mackintosh; Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and the national tour of The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox. On Broadway, Mark directed the Actors Fund benefit of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Jennifer Hudson. He directed national tours of Victor/Victoria starring Toni Tennille, Dreamgirls, Company, and An Evening of Lerner and Loewe starring Diahann Carroll. Select directing credits at Paper Mill include Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music; West Side Story; Beauty and the Beast; Annie; Mary Poppins; Dreamgirls; Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Songs for a New World; Hello, Dolly! starring Tovah Feldshuh; Harold and Maude: The Musical with Estelle Parsons; The Will Rogers Follies starring John Davidson; Meet Me in St. Louis; The King and I; Miss Saigon; Disney’s High School Musical; Peter Pan; Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Damn Yankees; and The Full Monty starring Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. He resides in Glen Ridge with his partner Larry Elardo, Senior Director of Program Operations for CBS News, and their children, Stephen and Ashley.
RANDY SKINNER (Original Broadway Choreography). Broadway: 42nd Street (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Olivier, Astaire nominations), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), Dames at Sea (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire nominations), Ain’t Broadway Grand (Tony, Outer Critics nominations), State Fair (Outer Critics nomination), After the Night and the Music (MTC/Friedman Theatre). West End: Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical. City Center Encores!: Do Re Mi; Of Thee I Sing; Face the Music; No, No, Nanette; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Lady Be Good. Off Broadway: Lone Star Love (Lucille Lortel nomination), Cheek to Cheek: Irving Berlin In Hollywood (Lucille Lortel nomination), Show Boat (NY Philharmonic/ PBS).
KRISTYN POPE (Reproduction Choreographer). Kristyn’s NYC performing credits include Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and Thoroughly Modern Millie (reunion concert) as well as the City Center Encores! productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Lady, Be Good; and The New Yorkers. Kristyn has served as associate or assistant choreographer and/or dance captain at regional theaters including Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed, Riverside Theatre, and Walnut Street Theatre. She has taught for Broadway Dance Center, the Rockette Experience, the Growing Studio, Broadway Theatre Connection, and Motivated Movers, and she has served as an adjudicator and taught master classes across the country. Kristyn holds a BA in Psychology from Northwestern University.
CYNTHIA MENG (Music Director) is a New York–based music director and pianist. Film/TV: Associate vocal supervisor on “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) and “Spirited” (Apple TV+). Broadway: The Outsiders, Hell’s Kitchen, Lempicka, Back to the Future, Company (2020 revival), Hadestown, Funny Girl, Kimberly Akimbo. Other recent favorites: Ragtime (NY City Center), Safety Not Guaranteed (BAM), Only Gold (MCC world premiere), Suffs (Public Theater), The Last Five Years (Out of the Box Theatrics), Radio City Christmas Spectacular, In the Green (Lincoln Center Theater), Witness Uganda (Wallis Annenberg Center).
ANNA LOUIZOS (Scenic Design) is a three-time Tony Award nominee for In the Heights, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and High Fidelity. For Paper Mill: The Baker’s Wife, Spelling Bee, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and Honeymoon in Vegas. Other Broadway designs: School of Rock (sets and costumes), Dames at Sea, Honeymoon in Vegas, It Shoulda Been You, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Avenue Q, The Performers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Holiday Inn, Curtains, Baby It’s You!, To Be or Not to Be, All About Me, Steel Magnolias, Golda’s Balcony. Recent: Peter Pan national tour. Numerous additional regional, Off Broadway, and screen credits.
KELLY JAMES TIGHE (Scenic Coordination & Additional Design). National tours/Off Broadway credits include The Cher Show, Martin Luther on Trial, The Most Reluctant Convert, The Fantasticks, The Great Divorce, Movin’ Out, Cats, Shear Madness, Shadowlands, Almost Heaven. Paper Mill designs include Jersey Boys, A Jolly Holiday, Songs for a New World, Pete ’n’ Keely, Beehive, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Kelly’s work has been seen at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, TUTS, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Center Repertory Co., Slow Burn Theatre, Woodloch Pines Resort, and others. Awards and recognitions: Drama-Logue, SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Dean Goodman Critic’s Choice, SF Bay Shellie Award. Online at KJTdesign.com, Instagram: @kellyjtighe
CARRIE ROBBINS (Costume Design) designed clothes for more than thirty Broadway shows including A Class Act, Grease, Agnes of God, Yentl, Sweet Bird of Youth, Frankenstein, Happy End, Boys of Winter, Cyrano, and White Christmas. Honors include the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award, two Tony nominations, five Drama Desk awards, and many others. Additional designs include The Nutcracker (Cincinnati Ballet); M. Butterfly and On the Verge (Arena Stage, DC); Death in Venice (Glimmerglass); An American in Paris (Alley Theatre, Houston); and Samson et Dalila (San Francisco Opera). A book on her work, The Designs of Carrie Robbins, was published in 2011.
ANTONIO CONSUEGRA (Costume Coordination & Additional Design) was assistant costume designer for the Broadway productions of Funny Girl, Hamilton, and Almost Famous; for the national tour of The Play That Goes Wrong (Chicago); and for numerous productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, including On Your Feet! and The Honeymooners. He also designed costumes for Masquerade: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Bodyguard at White Plains Performing Arts Center; The British Invasion Live (tour); and Off Broadway for ’Til Death, Daddy Issues, and All Aboard: The Musical.
CHARLIE MORRISON (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: 27 shows including The Sound of Music, On Your Feet!, Sister Act, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, and Meet Me in St. Louis. National/International Tours: The Cher Show; The Little Mermaid; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; A Christmas Story; The Producers; Hello, Dolly!; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Miss Saigon; Aida; Man of La Mancha; Guys and Dolls; Groovaloo; My Fair Lady; The King and I; 42nd Street; The Who’s Tommy; and many others. Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Guthrie, Goodspeed, Seattle Rep, Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, 5th Avenue, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, George Street Playhouse, PlayMakers Rep, Tulsa Opera, and more. Two Helen Hayes Awards (seven nominations). www.cmlighting.com
MATT KRAUS (Sound Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Murder on the Orient Express, A Jolly Holiday, Cinderella, Chasing Rainbows, Beauty and the Beast, Holiday Inn (to name a few). Broadway: Liza’s at the Palace…, Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off Broadway: Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (New Victory), Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades!. Stage Struck and Spotlight Bar onboard Princess Cruises. Regional: Guthrie Theater, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street. Matt won an Emmy Award for his work on Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall, which is streaming on Disney+.
THE WIG ASSOCIATES (Hair, Wig & Makeup Design), led by New York–based designers Will Vicari and Krystal Balleza, are known for their recent work in Orlando (Signature Theatre); The Connector (MCC); Good Bones, The Tempest (The Public Theater); and The Blood Quilt, Six Characters, and At The Wedding (Lincoln Center Theater). Regional credits include Eden; Falcon Girls; the ripple, the wave that carried me home (Yale Rep); Real Women Have Curves (A.R.T.); Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (2023–2025). For more, visit thewigassociates.com.
TARA RUBIN CASTING (Casting). Paper Mill: Jersey Boys, Gun & Powder, After Midnight, Rent, Hercules, Unmasked, Chasing Rainbows, The Sting, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Can-Can. Selected Broadway and national tours: Left on Tenth, The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Wiz, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy, Water for Elephants, Back to the Future, Here Lies Love, Bad Cinderella, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, KPOP, Mr. Saturday Night, Six, Ain’t Too Proud, The Band’s Visit, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, School of Rock, Aladdin, Billy Elliot, Spamalot, …Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera.
MELISSA CHACÓN (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: Frozen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. National Tours: Frozen, The Color Purple, The Bodyguard, The Bridges of Madison County, We Will Rock You, Billy Elliot, Contact and Rent. Off-Broadway: The Coast Starlight at Lincoln Center Theater, Harmony and Avenue Q. Regional: Romeo & Juliet at A.R.T., The Iceman Cometh at BAM, Joy at George Street Playhouse, Fiddler on the Roof, The Color Purple and The Bodyguard at Paper Mill Playhouse.
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