Jeremy Jordan & Eva Noblezada to Star in Paper Mill Playhouse’s World Premiere of the Great Gatsby, A New Musical

MEDIA RELEASE
July 24, 2023
JEREMY JORDAN AND EVA NOBLEZADA TO STAR IN
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE’S WORLD PREMIERE OF
THE GREAT GATSBY
A NEW MUSICAL

OCTOBER 12-NOVEMBER 12, 2023

(July 24, 2023 – Millburn, NJ) – Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director; Michael Stotts– Executive Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is pleased to announce initial casting for its world-premiere production of The Great Gatsby, based on the iconic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee and Theatre World Award winner Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Waitress, American Son) will star as enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby, and two-time Tony Award nominee and Theatre World Award winner Eva Noblezada (Hadestown, Miss Saigon) will star as socialite Daisy Buchanan. Additional casting will be announced in coming weeks.

The highly anticipated production will play October 12-November 12, 2023 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive). Opening night is Sunday, October 22. Tickets may be purchased now as part of a Paper Mill Playhouse subscription package and single tickets will go on sale on August 14, 2023.

“The jazz era setting of The Great Gatsby presents such a natural opportunity for music,” Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director. “But this team has also found ways to musicalize the characters’ deep, rich hopes and dreams with such surprising and dramatic subtlety. We cannot wait to welcome Paper Mill audiences to this thrilling world premiere of The Great Gatsby.”

“We’re so pleased to welcome back Jeremy Jordan, who made such a big impression on our stage in Newsies, as well as the incredibly talented Eva Noblezada, performing at Paper Mill for the first time,” commented Michael Stotts, Executive Director. “We could not hope for a more dazzling pair as Gatsby and Daisy.”

Fitzgerald’s novel has fascinated and captivated readers since its publication in 1925. Set in the Roaring Twenties, eccentric millionaire Jay Gatsby (Jordan) will stop at nothing in his tragic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan (Noblezada), a wealthy young woman who he loved in his youth. Surrounded by characters with incredibly complex and nuanced inner lives, passions, and longings boil, and then erupt – spurring the unimaginable fates that befall them.

The Great Gatsby features a book by Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square), and direction by Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical). The production will be choreographed by Dominique Kelley. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by Mr. Howland. Daniel Edmonds (Shucked, Paradise Square) is Music Director.

The Great Gatsby is produced by special arrangement with Chunsoo Shin, award-winning Korean theater producer and OD Company president.

BIOGRAPHIES

Jeremy Jordan (Jay Gatsby) is best known for his Tony and Grammy-nominated portrayal of Jack Kelly in Newsies on Broadway, as well as his many roles on television including series regulars on CW’s “Supergirl”, NBC’s “Smash” and Disney’s “Tangled.” He’s set to reprise the role of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, having helped re-open it in September of 2021. Most recently, Jeremy can be seen as tenacious record industry giant, Neil Bogart, in the feature film Spinning Gold. Other films include The Last 5 Years opposite Anna Kendrick, Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, American Son with Kerry Washington, and Newsies live on stage. Additional Broadway credits include Bonnie & Clyde (Theatre World Award), West Side Story, Waitress, American Son, and Rock of Ages. He has guest starred on numerous television shows, including “The Flash,” “Elementary” and “Law and Order: SVU.” Jeremy’s concerts and cabaret shows have won awards and acclaim worldwide. He is also the lead singer of “Age of Madness,” a new rock band which launched last year.

Eva Noblezada (Daisy Buchanan) was recently featured in the Amblin feature Easter Sunday and as the lead in the Apple TV+ animated film Luck. Previously, she starred for director Diane Paragas in the acclaimed Sony Pictures film Yellow Rose. She won a Grammy Award and was nominated for a Tony Award for starring on Broadway in Hadestown. It was Eva’s second Tony nomination in her first two Broadway roles, following her earlier nod in the title role of Miss Saigon in 2017. She also starred in Hadestown at the National Theatre in London as well as in the West End revivals of Miss Saigon and Les Misérables.

Kait Kerrigan (Book) is best known for her musical (book and lyrics) with Bree Lowdermilk, The Mad Ones, which includes cult-hit songs “Run Away with Me” and “Go Tonight.” She wrote additional lyrics for The Time Traveler’s Wife, opening on the West End in October 2023. Other musicals include Indigo, Justice, the pop-up immersive house party The Bad Years, and children’s shows: Henry & Mudge, Earthrise and Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends. Her plays include Father/Daughter and Imaginary Love. The Great Gatsby is Kerrigan’s first musical collaboration with her husband, lyricist Nathan Tysen.

Jason Howland (Music, Music Supervision, Orchestrations, Arrangements) is a Grammy- and Emmy-winning producer and arranger and a Tony-nominated composer, producer, and orchestrator. Composer: Paradise Square (Broadway), Little Women (Broadway), Ikuru (Tokyo), Tokyo Love Story (Tokyo), Christmas in Connecticut (Goodspeed), Last Days of Summer (Kansas City Rep). Musical director/arranger credits on Broadway include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Grammy Award), Shucked, Paradise Square, Bonnie and Clyde, Wonderland, Jekyll & Hyde, Les Misérables, The Civil War, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Taboo, and others. Proud father of Nina and Noah.

Nathan Tysen (Lyrics). Broadway/West End: Paradise Square (Tony nomination), Amélie (Olivier and Grammy nominations), Tuck Everlasting. Off Broadway: The Burnt Part Boys, Fugitive Songs. Regional: Dreamland (or a musical riff on Shakespeare’s Midsummer set during the declassification of Area 51), Stillwater. TV/Film: “A Killer Party,” “Sesame Street,” “Elmo’s World.” Upcoming: Love Is Strange, Blown Sideways Through Life, Revival, The Untitled Joe Hill Project. Awards from the Kleban, Ebb, Rodgers, and Larson foundations. Writer/director for Lovewell Institute, creating original musicals with young adults. MFA NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, BFA Missouri State University. Husband to writer Kait Kerrigan, father to Lucy and Tess. nathantysen.com

Marc Bruni (Director). Paper Mill: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other credits include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical on Broadway, West End, US/UK tours, and Australia (Helpmann, Green Room awards for direction); Trevor: The Musical (Disney+, Stage 42); Love All (La Jolla); Guys and Dolls, The Music Man, How to Succeed…, 50 Years of Broadway (Kennedy Center); The Nutty Professor (Ogunquit); The Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe, Berkeley); Hey, Look Me Over!, Paint Your Wagon, Pipe Dream, and Fanny (Encores!); The Explorers Club (MTC); Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre, Royal George Chicago); The Sound of Music (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Aspen); and eight musicals at St. Louis Muny. Graduate of Dartmouth College. SDC member.

Dominique Kelley (Choreographer). Theater credits include Oklahoma!, Indecent, and Rattlesnake Kate (Denver Center); Sophisticated Ladies and Singin’ in the Rain (Zach Theatre); Wild Women Blues (Germany); and Ain’t Misbehavin’(Ebony Rep). Favorite TV: “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Perry Mason,” “The Masked Singer,” “American Music Awards,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” Recording artist choreography: Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Usher, P!nk, FKA Twigs, Camila Cabello. Film: Gone with the Bullets, Jo Bole So Nihaal. Cirque du Soleil’s Volta. Sports team choreography: NY Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, L.A. Clippers, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Rockets, L.A. Chargers.

Daniel Edmonds (Music Director). Broadway: Shucked, Paradise Square. West End: The Showgirl Within. Songwriter: many songs, including Lea Salonga’s latest single, “Dream Again.” Film: scores for The Suitor, Monolith, Butcherbird, and the song “Man to Man” from Super Awesome. Other theater: new version of The Wind in the Willows (composer); MD of the world-premiere productions of King Kong, Strictly Ballroom (with Baz Luhrmann), Dream Lover; MD of Beautiful, Chicago, and Pippin in Australia; music supervisor of Only Heaven Knows and You & Me. In development: Wild About You (music supervisor, arranger, orchestrator, music producer of the concept album). Other highlights include piano for Lea Salonga’s PBS Great Performances special.

This production is made possible by special arrangement with Chunsoo Shin, a celebrated Korean musical theatre producer who is the founder and president of OD Company, a global theatre producing company in South Korea. He was the first Korean producer to become a lead producer on Broadway. He is acknowledged as an influential musical producer in Korea’s theater industry. Broadway: Doctor Zhivago, Holler If Ya Hear Me. Korea: Sweeney Todd, Man of La Mancha, Jekyll & Hyde, Dream Girls, Titanic, The Story of My Life, and more. In Development: The Great Gatsby; The Lights in Firenze, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla), and more. He is the founding president of the Korean Association of Musical Producers.

Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2023-2024 lineup also features Fiddler on the Roof (December 6, 2023 – Jan 7, 2024), After Midnight (January 31 – February 25, 2024), Gun & Powder (April 4– May 5, 2024), and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (June 5 – 30, 2024).

Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2023-2024 Season
World Premiere
The Great Gatsby
October 12 – November 12, 2023
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Book by Kait Kerrigan
Choreographed by Dominique Kelley
Directed by Marc Bruni

This world-premiere musical adaptation of the acclaimed novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the impassioned tale of eccentric and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby in his tragic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, the woman he’s loved since his youth. Directed by Marc Bruni (Beautiful), this story of extravagance and longing in the lavish Roaring Twenties features a book by Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones) and a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square).

Fiddler on the Roof
December 6, 2023 – January 7, 2024
Book by Joseph Stein
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Original Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Directed by Mark S. Hoebee

This beloved classic is sure to charm and captivate the entire family. The Tony Award-winning musical is set in a Russian village in the home of Tevye, a Jewish husband and father striving to uphold his family’s religious and cultural traditions. Directed by Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee with the original choreography by Jerome Robbins, Fiddler on the Roof’s timeless score includes such favorites as “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “To Life (L’Chaim!),” and “Sunrise, Sunset.”

After Midnight
January 31 – February 25, 2024
Conceived by Jack Viertel
Selected Text by Langston Hughes
Music by Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Harold Arlen and others

This electrifying musical revue transports you to the Cotton Club of the Harlem Renaissance, an unparalleled time in New York City when jazz and swing were king. After Midnight intertwines the poetry of Langston Hughes with songs from big-band legends Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Harold Arlen, Dorothy Fields, and more. The exhilarating score features such hits as “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “Stormy Weather,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing.”

New Musical
Gun & Powder
April 4 – May 5, 2024
Book and Lyrics by Angelica Chéri
Music by Ross Baum
Directed by Stevie Walker-Webb

Gun & Powder is a new musical inspired by the true story of Mary and Martha Clarke, African American twin sisters who take extraordinary measures to settle their mother’s sharecropper debt and save her home. In 1893 Texas, the Sisters Clarke—passing as white—embark on a remarkable Wild West adventure that examines race, family, and identity with two electrifying women who transformed from farm girls to outlaws to legends. Featuring book and lyrics by Angelica Chéri (a real-life descendant of Mary and Martha Clarke), music by Ross Baum, and direction by Obie winner Stevie Walker-Webb (Ain’t No Mo’).

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
June 5 – 30, 2024
Book by Douglas McGrath
Words and Music by Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Choreographed by Jennifer Werner
Directed by Casey Hushion

This Tony-nominated musical follows the early life and career of Carole King on her journey from teenage songwriter to chart-topping solo artist. King wrote for many of the biggest names in music, often alongside her husband, but it wasn’t until she made the leap from the writer’s room to the stage that she truly found her voice. This inspiring story of love, heartbreak, and empowerment features over two dozen hits, including “One Fine Day,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” and “Natural Woman.”

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audiences the opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions, including Q&As held live in the theater with cast members. Paper Mill Prologues and The Director’s Viewpoint will be available to everyone on-demand in the Paper Mill Playhouse mobile app.

Award-winning access programs and services are available at all Paper Mill Playhouse productions, including audio-described performances, American Sign Language interpreted and open-captioned performances, Braille and large-print programs, and assistive listening devices.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers three-, four- and five-show subscription packages, available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits – see www.PaperMill.org for details. Accessibly priced youth subscriptions are available for children under 18 with the purchase of an adult subscription. Tickets to individual shows will be on sale beginning August 14, 2023. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, online at www.PaperMill.org, or at the box office.

Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change.

ABOUT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 2016 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 Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. 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. We acknowledge that our theater stands on the traditional land of the Lenni-Lenape, and we honor the Indigenous people who inhabited it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. 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.

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