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Paper Mill Playhouse will begin the new year with the world premiere Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and written with Richard Curtis.  Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber runs Jan 30—March 1, 2020.  JPMorgan Chase & Co.  is the major sponsor of Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The 2019–2020 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank. Opening Night is Sunday evening, February 9, 2020 at 7PM.

Directed and choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Paper Mill’s Cinderella), with music direction by Michael Patrick Walker, the cast will feature Nicholas Edwards (Frozen), Alex Finke (Come From Away), Alyssa Giannetti (Love Never Dies), Jeremy Landon Hays (The Phantom of the Opera), Kara Haller (School of Rock), Amy Justman (Company), Andrew Kober (School of Rock, Paper Mill’s Cinderella), Angel Lozada (NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar), Mauricio Martinez (On Your Feet!), Bronson Norris Murphy (Love Never Dies), Mamie Parris (School of Rock, Cats), Dave Schoonover (Love Never Dies, Paper Mill’s Cinderella), and Rema Webb (Escape to Margaritaville).

The production team includes scenic and costume design by Alexander Dodge (Paper Mill’s Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz, A Gentleman’s Guide…, Anastasia), lighting design by Tony Award nominee Ed McCarthy (Tony Awards, Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice), and sound design by Jon Weston (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Big Fish). The Production Stage Manager is Frank Lombardi. Max Quinlan will serve as associate director and Liz Ramos will serve as associate choreographer. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting.

Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wed–Sun and will play the following schedule: Wed at 7:30PM, Thu at 1:30PM and 7:30PM, Fri at 8:00PM, Sat at 1:30PM and 8PM, and Sun at 1:30PM and 7:00PM. Tickets start at $32 and may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or clicking here. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Students may order $20 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance.

MEET THE COMPANY

NICHOLAS EDWARDS is thrilled to be back in his home state and making his debut at Paper Mill Playhouse! Broadway: Frozen (ensemble, u/s Kristoff, u/s Pabbie). Off Broadway: Spamilton. National Tours: Les Misérables (ensemble, u/s Enjolras), Sister Act (Pablo). DC Area: Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus, Signature Theatre). Other credits include Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman and Judah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. BFA, Musical Theatre, Montclair State University.

ALEX FINKE was most recently seen as Janice & Others in the hit Broadway musical Come From Away. Other credits include: Broadway: Les Misérables (Cosette); Off Broadway: Johanna in the critically acclaimed revival of Sweeney Todd at Barrow Street Theatre; First National Tour: Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt); Regional: The Unsinkable Molly Brown at the Denver Center, Footloose at PCLO, Music Theatre Wichita. University of Michigan, BFA, Musical Theatre.

ALYSSA GIANNETTI is thrilled to be performing at Paper Mill Playhouse for the first time. She made her professional debut as the Christine Daaé understudy and ensemble swing with the first national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies. Originally from Bloomfield Hills, MI, Alyssa holds a BM in Voice and Opera Performance from Northwestern University.

KARA HALLER. Paper Mill debut! Broadway: School of Rock. National Tours: School of Rock (first national), Beauty and the Beast. Select regional: Harmony (Ahmanson Theatre), Anything Goes (Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse), Beauty and the Beast (Musical Theatre West).

JEREMY LANDON HAYS. Broadway: The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul), Les Misérables. National Tour: Les Misérables (Enjolras, originating at Paper Mill), Cats (Tugger). Television: The Oath (Crackle), Bull (CBS), FBI (CBS), The Blacklist (NBC), Broad City (Comedy Central). Film: Compliance (FX, starring Mary Louise Parker), Sometime Other Than Now (starring Kate Walsh). Jeremy has penned the book to Everything in the Dim Light, a new Broadway musical currently in development, with music and lyrics by The Bones, adapted from the Thomas Hardy novel Far from the Madding Crowd. Jeremy has also written two television pilots, Buried Deep and Take the Black.

AMY JUSTMAN. Paper Mill debut! Broadway: Carousel, In Transit, The Phantom of the Opera, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, White Christmas, Company (PBS Great Performances). National Tour: The Phantom of the Opera. New York: Passion (Classic Stage Company), four Encores! shows. Regional: Cincinnati Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Flat Rock Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Opera and concert credits include prisoner of the state (New York Philharmonic), Bernstein’s Mass (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra), A Midsummer’s Night Dream (New York City Ballet), and The Threepenny Opera (Syracuse Opera). TV: Fosse/Verdon. Winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition.

ANDREW KOBER. Most recently: Cinderella at Paper Mill. Broadway: Beautiful, School of Rock, Sunday in the Park with George, She Loves Me, Les Misérables, Hair. National Tour: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off Broadway and regional: Roundabout Theatre Company, the Public Theater, MCC, New York Theatre Workshop, the Old Globe, Yale Rep, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bucks County Playhouse, Denver Center Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, and four summers at Shakespeare in the Park. TV: Fosse/Verdon (FX Network), Ray Donovan (Showtime), House of Cards (Netflix), Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Blue Bloods (CBS), Pan Am (ABC), The Plot Against America (HBO).

ANGEL LOZADA is proud to make his Paper Mill Playhouse debut in Unmasked! He is originally from Orlando, Florida, and is a proud son of Puerto Rican parents! Angel is a Florida State University alumnus (class of 2017) with a BM in Music Theatre. Favorite credits include Jesus Christ Superstar both live on NBC and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Che in Evita at Riverside Theatre and ACT of Connecticut, and Bernardo in West Side Story at Maltz Jupiter Theatre.

MAURICIO MARTINEZ is a Mexican actor and recording artist. Broadway/National Tour: On Your Feet! (Emilio Estefan). Regional: Evita as Che (Kansas City Rep). TV: El Vato (Netflix—International Emmy Award), Señora Acero 2 (Telemundo), and numerous telenovelas for Univision. On the Mexico City stage, he starred in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Saturday Night Fever, The Drowsy Chaperone, Sweet Charity, and A View from the Bridge, among others. Mauricio has released two pop albums available on iTunes and is currently working on his third solo album.

BRONSON NORRIS MURPHY makes his Paper Mill Playhouse debut with Unmasked. In a career full of celebrating the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mr. Murphy became best known to American audiences for premiering the role of the Phantom in the first North American production of Love Never Dies: The Phantom Returns. Broadway/NYC: The Phantom of the Opera, Evita (NY City Center). National Tours: Cats, Love Never Dies.

MAMIE PARRIS. Unmasked marks Mamie’s Paper Mill Playhouse debut. On Broadway she garnered acclaim as Grizabella in the revival of Cats and originated the role of Patty in School of Rock. Additional Broadway and first national tour credits include Wicked (Elphaba), 9 to 5 (Judy), On the Twentieth Century, Ragtime, The Drowsy Chaperone, Legally Blonde, and 110 in the Shade. Regional credits include the new musicals Dave (Ellen) at Arena Stage and Life After (Beth) at the Old Globe, as well as roles at Goodspeed, Pittsburgh CLO, and the Muny. Film and television credits include The Blacklist, State of Affairs, and A Standup Guy.

DAVE SCHOONOVER is loving this immediate return to Paper Mill after Cinderella (u/s Sebastian, Lord Pinkleton). National Tours: Love Never Dies (u/s Phantom, Raoul, Gangle), White Christmas (Sheldrake, u/s Bob), Young Frankenstein (u/s Dr. Frankenstein), Cats (Tugger). Off Broadway: The Fantasticks (El Gallo standby). Regional: Annie (Rooster, TUTS), Sweeney Todd (Pirelli, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), Parade (Governor Slaton, Merry-Go-Round), The Music Man (Harold Hill, Forestburgh Playhouse), White Christmas (Bob, Westchester Broadway), Young Frankenstein (Dr. Frankenstein, Ogunquit), Toxic Avenger (Toxie, Hippodrome Theatre), Little Shop… (Orin, Arrow Rock Lyceum).

REMA WEBB most recently appeared in Footloose (Kennedy Center), Hercules (Public Theater/Disney Theatrical), and Little Shop of Horrors (Cape Playhouse). Broadway credits: Escape to Margaritaville, The Color Purple, Violet, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, Ragtime. Off Broadway and regional credits: Little Shop of Horrors, The Cradle Will Rock, The Colored Museum, A New Brain, You’re Standing in My Way: A New Song Cycle, Being Alive.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER (Composer) is the composer of some of the world’s best-known musicals, including Cats, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, and School of Rock. His awards, both as composer and producer, include seven Tonys, seven Oliviers, a Golden Globe, an Oscar, an Emmy, the Praemium Imperiale, PCLO’s Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater, a BASCA Fellowship, the Kennedy Center Honor, and a Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, his setting of the Latin Requiem mass, which contains one of his best-known compositions, “Pie Jesu.” He owns seven London theaters, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium. He was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 1992 and created an honorary member of the House of Lords in 1997. He is passionate about the importance of music in education, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation is one of Britain’s leading charities supporting the arts and music. In 2016, the foundation announced a $1.3 million arts education initiative with the American Theatre Wing.

RICHARD CURTIS (Cowriter) is a film writer and director, responsible for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Mr. Bean, Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked, and most recently Trash, About Time, and Yesterday. In the other half of his life, he is cofounder and vice chair of Comic Relief, which he started after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine, leading to the fundraising event Red Nose Day. He has coproduced the charity’s 16 live broadcasts for the BBC since 1988, raising over £1.3 billion for projects in the UK and internationally. In 2015, Richard helped bring Red Nose Day to the United States, in a partnership with NBC and Walgreens, where it has raised nearly $150 million to help children here and around the world.

JOANN M. HUNTER (Director & Choreographer) is always honored to be back at Paper Mill, where she choreographed Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Annie, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Grease, Oliver!, and Curtains. She has 20 Broadway shows to her credit as choreographer, associate choreographer, and performer. Choreography includes: Broadway: School of Rock (also national tour, West End), Disaster, On a Clear Day…, Broadway Bound; Off Broadway: Rock and Roll Refugee, Dedalus Lounge, The Twelve (workshop); Regional: Ever After (Alliance), world premiere of Beatsville (Asolo), A Sign of the Times by Bruce Vilanch (Goodspeed), Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman (Ahmanson), world premiere of The Nutty Professor directed by Jerry Lewis; National Tour: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. She directed and choreographed Debra Monk’s Birthday Bash for BC/EFA. Upcoming: Love Life and SuperYou Off Broadway.

MICHAEL PATRICK WALKER (Music Director). Broadway: 2017 revival of Sunset Boulevard (assistant conductor), Frozen, Aladdin, If/Then, Avenue Q (conductor), Cats, and more. Concert Performances: Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and ten amazing years as Chita Rivera’s associate musical director and pianist. As a composer/lyricist he was honored with an Outer Critics Circle Award and multiple Drama Desk nominations. His musicals include Being Theo, Dog and Pony (with Rick Elice), and the ninth longest running Off Broadway musical of all time, Altar Boyz (with Gary Adler and Kevin Del Aguila). Recordings: Out of Context: The Songs of Michael Patrick Walker, Johnny and the Sprites (coproducer), and the Altar Boyz cast album

ALEXANDER DODGE (Scenic & Costume Design). Paper Mill: Chasing Rainbows, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Importance of Being Earnest, Master Class. Broadway: Anastasia (Outer Critics Circle nomination), A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Present Laughter (Tony nomination), Old Acquaintance, Butley, Hedda Gabler. Recent Off Broadway and regional: Harry Clarke (Minetta Lane/Audible), the premiere of the musical The Flamingo Kid choreographed by Denis Jones (Hartford Stage). Opera: Samson et Dalila (Metropolitan Opera), The Thirteenth Child (Santa Fe Opera), Ghosts of Versailles (LA Opera), Dinner at Eight (Minnesota and Wexford), Il trittico (Deutsche Oper Berlin), and Lohengrin (Budapest). MFA, Yale.

ED McCARTHY (Lighting Design). Recent: Kathleen Turner: Finding My Voice, The Heart of Robin Hood in Hong Kong, Peter Brook’s Tragedy of Carmen. Public Theater: Southern Comfort. Broadway: Adaptation of Coram Boy (2007 Tony nomination for best lighting design of a play). Radio City Christmas Spectacular; over 70 Off Broadway and regional shows; associate lighting designer for all companies of Mamma Mia! in the Western Hemisphere; and many others. Television: the last 20 Tony Awards (earning four Emmy nominations), Live from Lincoln Center, Grammy Awards, Prairie Home Companion, and more. Graduate of, and teacher at, NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

JON WESTON (Sound Design). Paris and West End:  An American in Paris. West End: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Rent, The Who’s Tommy. Broadway design credits include Prince of Broadway; She Loves Me; Amazing Grace; An American in Paris; On the Twentieth Century; You Can’t Take It With You; The Bridges of Madison County; How to Succeed…; The Color Purple; Caroline, or Change; Nine; The Green Bird; Thoroughly Modern Millie. Off Broadway and Regional: Footloose (Kennedy Center); Scotland, PA (Roundabout); Evita (Bay Street); Grey Gardens (Bay Street); The Last Five Years (Second Stage); Death Takes a Holiday (Roundabout); Parade (Mark Taper Forum); Family Guy, Live! (Carnegie Hall).

FRANK LOMBARDI (Production Stage Manager). Paper Mill Playhouse: Million Dollar Quartet, Mary Poppins. Broadway: Betrayal, The Cher Show, Torch Song, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, A Behanding in Spokane, Hamlet (twice, with Jude Law and Ralph Fiennes), Spamalot, Disney’s Tarzan, Hairspray, The Sound of Music, Steel Pier, The Phantom of the Opera, Passion, Side Show, Footloose, The Red Shoes, The Secret Garden. Off Broadway: Plenty (Public). Regional: Camelot (Westport Country Playhouse, CT); Idaho! (Smith Center, Las Vegas); The Will Rogers Follies (Maltz Jupiter Theatre, FL); world premieres of Catch Me If You Can (Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre) and Randy Newman’s Faust (La Jolla Playhouse); The Lion King (original L.A. company).

TARA RUBIN CASTING (Casting). Previous Paper Mill: Chasing Rainbows, The Sting, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Can-Can, Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour. Broadway and National Tours: Ain’t Too Proud, King Kong, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, The Band’s Visit, Prince of Broadway, Indecent, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, Falsettos, Disaster!, School of Rock, Bullets Over Broadway, Les Misérables, Big Fish, The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Shrek, Spamalot, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys. Off Broadway: Sing Street, The Other Josh Cohen, Clueless, Gloria: A Life, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Here Lies Love.

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ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCES FOR UNMASKED: THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber on Sun, Feb 23, at 1:30PM and Saturday, Feb 29, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes.  There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sun, March 1, at 7:00PM.

FREE AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES FOR UNMASKED: THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER

CONVERSATION CLUB: Join us Thu evenings, Jan 30, Feb 6, 13, and 20, one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.
THE DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT: One hour before curtain on Wed, Feb 5, a pre-show discussion with the show’s director in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.
Q&A WITH THE CAST: After the matinee on Sat, Feb 29, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.
Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Outreach are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family & the Harmony Helper App.

The post Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber–Cast and Team Announced appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

James Fakult, Chair of Paper Mill’s Board of Trustees, says, “Paper Mill Playhouse is deeply grateful for the Harmony Helper app and the Goren family’s visionary support of our arts education and outreach programs. Paper Mill champions nearly 40,000 students each year with transformative education programs, which are at the heart of our not-for-profit organization.”

Harmony Helper®, the premier app that provides singers the convenience and control of a 24/7 digital rehearsal room anytime, anywhere, announced the full launch on October 29 of the first and only product that adds customizable sheet music scanning to simplify practicing and help singers deliver their best performance. The Harmony Helper app allows singers that cannot afford a vocal coach or rehearsal space to develop the skill levels they need to make the most of their time in the spotlight. It levels the playing field for amateurs and pros alike.

“Paper Mill feels a keen responsibility to ensure children should have access to theater’s life-changing opportunities, regardless of economic, physical, or developmental challenges. Paper Mill responds with high-quality arts education, cultural partnerships, and outreach – impacting teens, aspiring artists, and families of children with autism and other cognitive and developmental disabilities,”  stated Michael Stotts, Paper Mill’s Managing Director.

Based on patented technology, the app is the first comprehensive, easy-to-use learning tool that features accurate real-time feedback, vocal part customization, pitch tracking, record/playback, and vocal part volume control.

Harmony Helper’s new customizable sheet music scanning feature is the first and only of its kind. Users simply upload or take a photo of their sheet music. Harmony Helper then uses Optical Music Recognition (OMR) technology to auto-generate vocal parts. The user then creates their own custom vocal part by answering a few questions about the song. The song is then translated into an easy-to-read piano roll format with accompaniment and flexible part volume controls, giving singers the ability to isolate specific vocal parts and sound while practicing. This unique feature makes all music available to practice the moment a singer is ready to begin learning. For singers who are just learning or struggle with reading sheet music, this patented technology eliminates the friction to allow the aspiring singer to practice. Performers no longer need to be dependent on scheduling time with accompanists to play and record music, and the real-time feedback feature takes away the stress of scheduling with a coach to quickly prepare for an audition or performance.

“Harmony Helper is an indispensable educational resource that will change how every individual and music group approaches learning music,” said Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director at Paper Mill Playhouse. “Harmony Helper solves a myriad of logistical issues facing performers and beginners while giving students the confidence they need to master their music. I consider this app a true game-changer for the arts industry.”

Harmony Helper’s transformative features include:
• Sheet Music scanning/conversion: Allows singers to simply take a photo of any sheet music or upload directly into the app. Using OMR technology, written music is converted to MusicXML and MIDI so it can be viewed in a piano roll format, heard, and rehearsed.
• Vocal part customization: Singers create their custom vocal part for a more personalized experience.
• Real-time feedback: Patented pitch tracker accurately visualizes the singer’s pitch and timing in real-time, calibrated to their abilities and level of expertise.
• Vocal Part Volume Controls: Hear the song in a multitude of different ways using volume controls for vocal parts, metronome, and accompaniment.
• Guided Approach to Learning: Patented 5-Step Approach to Learning and Holding Harmonies equips singers with the necessary tools to tackle even the most complex songs, so they can walk into every live performance or rehearsal confidently prepared.
• Easy Record and Playback: Listen to a song anytime and anywhere, then step into a quiet room to record/practice. Then listen to the recording take alone or with other vocal parts.

In the coming months, Harmony Helper will be announcing the general release of its group sharing features. The patented technology will enable music directors, coaches, and teachers to seamlessly share songbooks and instructions with performers and group members. Performers will receive their music via the app and can easily isolate their part so they can practice on their own time, not just when the director or accompanist is available.

Harmony Helper is now available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

HARMONY HELPER is a singer’s best friend and the only app that utilizes patented technologies to provide singers with the convenience and control of a 24/7 digital rehearsal room anytime, anywhere, regardless of skill level. Harmony Helper improves singing accuracy and builds confidence, helping singers and performance groups deliver their best performances. The innovative learning tool is easy-to-use and complete with the most comprehensive list of features, including part customization, sheet music scanning, real-time feedback, vocal part volume control and a novel 5-step approach to mastering a song. Founded in 2017 by CEO and founder Andrew Goren, Harmony Helper is comprised of a passionate team of expert technologists, seasoned entrepreneurs, and well-respected Broadway performers and performance experts. For more information, visit https://harmonyhelper.com.

Harmony Helper and the Harmony Helper logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Harmony Helper. All other product and company names and marks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned for identification.

The post The Goren Family & the New Harmony Helper App Become Inaugural Sponsor for Paper Mill Playhouse Education/Outreach Programs appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

With Music by Matthew Sklar & Lyrics by Nell Benjamin
Additional Music by Marvin Hamlish & Ester Dean
Available July 19—Preorder Available Now

Paper Mill Playhouse, along with Sony Masterworks Broadway, announces the July 19 release of Half Time (Oringal Cast Recording), with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and additional music by Marvin Hamlisch and Ester Dean.  Available for preorder now, the album features music from the Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin-written musical, which made its 2018 debut at Paper Mill Playhouse and tells the uplifting true story of ten New Jersey seniors with extraordinary dreams.

The Half-Time (Original Cast Recording) features some of the last songs written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch, who passed away during the show’s early gestation.  The album also features a who’s who of Broadway talent, including five-time Emmy Award-nominated actress Georgia Engel (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”), Tony and Emmy Award winner Lillias White (“The Life,” “Sesame Street”), Tony and Drama Desk Award winner Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) and Emmy Award winner André De Sheilds (The Wiz), who most recently won a Tony for his role in Hadestown.  The Original Cast Recording is dedicated to the memory of Georgia Engel.

Based on the motion picture Gotta Dance, directed, written and produced by Dori Bernstein, Half Time tells the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major basketball team, inspired by the true story of the Brooklyn Nets NETSational dance team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. Only after making the cut do they learn they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing—instead, they will bring down the house with a style that is entirely new to them: hip-hop. Take the uplifting journey with these dreamers—and the young coaches who inspire them along the way—as they battle self-doubt, stereotypes and even each other for a chance to bust a move at center court in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Together they remind us that in life, when the odds are stacked against you and the challenges seem too great to overcome, it’s not the end of the game—it’s Half Time.

HALF-TIME (ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING) – TRACK LISTING
1 A Number – Company
2 Who Wants to See That? – Haven Burton and Company
3 Princess – Lillias White and Nkeki Obi-Melekwe
4 Follow Me to the Party – Donna McKechnie, Kathryn Kendall, Lori Tan Chinn, Lillias White, Nancy Ticotin, Lenora Nemetz, Kay Walbye, André De Shields
5 Dorothy/Dottie – Georgia Engel, Garrett Turner, Valton Jackson
6 The Prince of Swing/There You Are – André De Shields, Mary Claire King, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe
7 Swagger – Haven Burton, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Mary Claire King, Georgia Engel and Company
8 The Waters Rise – Lori Tan Chinn
9 They All Get to See That – Haven Burton
10 Princess (Reprise) – Lillias White, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Garrett Turner
11 ¿Como No? – Nancy Ticotin and Company
12 The Prince of Swing (Reprise) – Georgia Engel and André De Shields
13 Too Old for This – Donna McKechnie
14 New Point of View – Company
15 Gotta Get Up – Haven Burton, Lillias White, Georgia Engel and Company
16 Time Machine (Bonus Track) – Donna McKechnie

ABOUT SONY MUSIC MASTERWORKS
Sony Music Masterworks comprises the imprints Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait and Masterworks Broadway. Our artists range from icons to newly developing talents in classical, crossover and adult alternative music, plus new and legendary jazz artists. Our vast catalog of musical theater recordings features classic shows and original cast albums of today’s Broadway hits, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Prom, SpongeBob SquarePants, Hello, Dolly! (starring Bette Midler), Groundhog Day, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, On Your Feet!, Kinky Boots, Once, If/Then and An American in Paris.

Half Time is produced by Dori Berinstein and Bill Damaschke.

Half Time Co-Producing Team
Dreamworks Theatricals, Nelda Sue Yaw, Natasha Davidson, Adam S. Gordon, Elizabeth Armstrong, Suzanne Friedman, Kimberlee Garris, Monica Rosenthal, Jan Kalish, Alex Baron, Amand Bubois, Independent Presenter Network, Peter May, James L. Nederlander, Lisa Schultz, Reagan Silber, Lorianne Boyle / Sharon Fallon, Thomas Steven Perakos, Judy Lavin, Greg Centineo, Yonge Street Theatrical, In Association with Adam Zell, John Gore Organization, Lisa Morris, The Road Company.

The post Sony Masterworks Broadway Announces Half Time (Original Cast Recording) appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

Paper Mill Playhouse is pleased to announce it has won two, 2019 Discover Jersey Arts People’s Choice Awards.  Paper Mill Playhouse was awarded, “Favorite Large Theater to See a Musical,” and “Favorite Choral Group” by the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation. Presented by Discover Jersey Arts, a program of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the annual Awards highlight the work of New Jersey’s vital and thriving arts community.

The awards presented to Paper Mill Playhouse were accepted by Managing Director Mike Stotts (second from left) and Director of Press and Public Relations Shayne Miller (third from left, also the director of the theater’s award-winning show choir) at a ceremony in Burlington, New Jersey this week.

This year, nearly 14,000 arts lovers cast their ballots for their favorite local groups and downtowns. Paper Mill Playhouse garnered over 8,000 votes between the two categories and has won more People’s Choice Awards than any other arts organization in the program’s history.
Paper Mill Playhouse was one of 104 arts organizations and 11 downtown districts nominated in 19 categories, including favorite art museum, opera company, small theater, choral group and more. Nominees were determined by their peers in the Jersey Arts Marketers network, made up of hundreds of arts groups from around the state.

“The arts in New Jersey are vibrant, diverse and innovative,” said Adam Perle, President & CEO of ArtPride New Jersey, during this year’s awards ceremony at Lyceum Hall Center for the Arts in Burlington, N.J. “We are extremely proud to host the annual JerseyArts.com People’s Choice Awards, and to honor the outstanding cultural industry that makes our state such an incredible place to live, work and play.”

For detailed results and more information, click here.

“The thousands of fans who come out and vote every year for their favorites are further proof that the arts matter in New Jersey,” said Allison Tratner, Executive Director of the State Arts Council. “As drivers of tourism and the economy, these distinctive arts destinations anchor communities in every corner of the state, and help connect us with the creativity so vital to our quality of life.”

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Mike Stotts-Managing Director) recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is where American musical theater is celebrated, cherished, and pushed in exciting new directions. A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938 and a nationally renowned not-for-profit regional theater, Paper Mill has been consistently recognized for the high-quality artistry of its reimagined classic musicals as well as its commitment to supporting the development of new works and the careers of Broadway’s best talent and emerging artists both onstage and behind the scenes. Paper Mill Playhouse boasts award-winning access services and outreach initiatives as well as performer training programs that impact more than 35,000 students each year. Paper Mill Playhouse productions have launched national tours and gone on to Broadway—including Disney’s Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand—as well as television broadcasts on Showtime and PBS and original cast recordings. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE BROADWAY SHOW CHOIR (Shayne Austin Miller, Director) is a tuition-free, audition-based performance show choir that stems from Paper Mill Playhouse’s award-winning Arts Education and Outreach programs.  The choir consists of 70 singer/dancers between the ages of 15 and 22. The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir acts as ambassadors to Paper Mill Playhouse with an array of performance opportunities throughout the community and beyond. Over the past six seasons, the Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir has delighted more than 450,000 people across the region with rousing renditions of Broadway, pop, and classics. The choir has performed at prestigious venues including MetLife Stadium, Lincoln Center, Sun Arena, NJPAC, The State Theatre, Mayo Center, Bergen PAC, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Empire State Building, Asbury Park Convention Center, SOPAC, among others. The choir will be on-tour throughout the state, April–June.  The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir is presented by Overlook Medical Center.

ABOUT JERSEYARTS.COM AND DISCOVER JERSEY ARTS
JerseyArts.com is the official website of Discover Jersey Arts, a cosponsored project of the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts dedicated to increasing the awareness of and participation in the arts in New Jersey. The site features a comprehensive cultural event calendar and arts directory; feature stories, videos and podcasts; details on Jersey Arts Membership, including discounts and exclusive member events; an online gallery of New Jersey artists; and other content about the state’s cultural community.

ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
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BENNY & JOON at the Old Globe_Photo by Jim Cox_Hannah Elless and Bryce Pinkham

Directed by Jack Cummings III, with choreography by Scott Rink and music direction by J. Oconor Navarro, the principal cast features Claybourne Elder (Sunday in the Park with George) as Benny, Hannah Elless (Paper Mill’s The Other Josh Cohen) as Joon, Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) as Sam, Conor Ryan as Sam at certain performances, (Paper Mill’s My Very Own British Invasion) and Tatiana Wechsler (Oklahoma) as Ruthie, with Colin Hanlon (Falsettos) as Mike, Paolo Montalban (Paper Mill’s The King and I) as Larry, Natalie Toro (A Tale of Two Cities) as Dr. Cortez/Mrs. Smail, Jacob Keith Watson (Carousel) as Waldo/Video Store Owner and Belinda Allyn (Paper Mill’s West Side Story).

Based on the 1993 film starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The pair at the heart of the show are Joon, a young woman dealing with mental illness, and Benny, the big brother who’s determined to take care of her. When a charmingly eccentric stranger comes into their lives, he throws their carefully calibrated world off-kilter—maybe for the better. Large in emotional scope and artistic ambition, Benny & Joon embraces a difficult subject with warmth, honesty, and wit.

The production team includes scenic and costume design by Dane Laffrey, lighting design by R. Lee Kennedy, sound design by Kai Harada, flying by Foy, movement coordinator Lorenzo Pisoni, and orchestrations by Michael Starobin. The production stage manager is Victoria Navarro. Casting by Nora Brennan, CSA.

BENNY & JOON at the Old Globe_Photo by Jim Cox_Bryce Pinkham

Benny & Joon will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wed—Sun. Performance schedule: Wed at 7:30PM, Thur at 1:30PM and 7:30PM, Fri at 8:00PM, Sat at 1:30PM and 8:00PM, and Sun at 1:30PM and 7:00PM. Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or by clicking here. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717. Students may order $23-$28 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Box Office on the day of the performance.

BELINDA ALLYN (Standby for Joon, Ruthie, Dr. Cortez/Mrs. Smail) is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill Playhouse! She was previously seen at Paper Mill as Maria in West Side Story. Other credits include Allegiance (Broadway), understudy Imelda in Here Lies Love (Seattle Rep), Maria in West Side Story (Riverside Theatre), and Mrs. Claus in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (NYC). Graduate of Oklahoma City University.

CLAYBOURNE ELDER (Benny). Broadway: Sunday in the Park with George (Soldier, George standby), Bonnie and Clyde (Buck), Torch Song. London: You and Me and Sondheim (Arts Theatre). Off-Broadway: Sondheim’s Road Show (Hollis, Public Theater), One Arm (Ollie—Drama Desk nomination), Allegro (Joseph—Lortel nomination), Two by Two with Jason Alexander (Japheth), Do I Hear A Waltz? (City Center Encores!), Venice (Public Theater). Regional: Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, Passion (Giorgio) at Signature Theatre, Angels in America (dir. David Cromer), Into the Woods (dir. Moisés Kaufman, Kansas City Rep). Film/TV: Flatbush Luck, “The Carrie Diaries” (Pete).

HANNAH ELLESS (Joon) returns to Paper Mill Playhouse, where she was last seen originating the musical comedy The Other Josh Cohen. Ms. Elless’s Broadway credits include Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Bright Star and the revival of Godspell. Off-Broadway: Summer and Smoke; Come Back, Little Sheba; Picnic; The Other Josh Cohen. Regional: Ophelia in Hamlet, Aricia in Phaedra, Katherine in Henry V, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Elise McKenna in Somewhere in Time, Joon in Benny & Joon (Craig Noel Award nominee). TV/Film: “The Deuce,” “Glee,” The Lake Effect, Nora Ephron Goes to Prison.

COLIN HANLON (Mike) has a recurring role on “Modern Family” as Steven. He has had guest starring roles on “Difficult People,” “The Sinner,” “The Good Fight,” and in the upcoming film Yes. Co-producer and star of the web series “Submissions Only.” The New York premiere of Dot (Vineyard, dir. Susan Stroman) and A. R. Gurney’s last play Final Follies (Cherry Lane, dir. David Saint). Broadway: Falsettos, Rent, Wicked (tour), In Transit. Four shows at George Street Playhouse, most recently The Nerd (dir. Kevin Cahoon); four seasons at NYS&F and the O’Neill; Next Fall (St. Louis Rep). Off-Broadway includes I Love You Because and Pirates of Penzance.

PAOLO MONTALBAN (Larry) returns to Paper Mill with his fourth production. He appeared in The King and I, R&H’s Cinderella, and Nine. He is most recognized as the Prince in ABC/Disney’s TV musical movie of “Cinderella “(with Brandy and Whitney Houston). Broadway: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Pacific Overtures, The King and I. Off-Broadway: Bella: An American Tall Tale (Playwrights Horizons—Lortel nomination), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Delacorte). Regional: Mamma Mia! (5th Avenue), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Denver Center). TV: “Mortal Kombat: Conquest” as Kung Lao, “Madam Secretary,” “The Blacklist.” Film: Just Wright, The Great Raid.

BRYCE PINKHAM (Sam) originated the role of Monty Navarro in the Broadway production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder where he played over 700 performances. Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Tony, Drama Desk, Grammy nominations), The Heidi Chronicles (Outer Critics Circle nomination), Ghost, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Holiday Inn. TV: Mercy Street, Blindspot, The Good Wife, Person of Interest, God in America, The Get Down, Instinct. Upcoming: Proven Innocent on Fox. Countries visited: 22 and counting. Cofounder of www.zaraaina.org. BA, Boston College; MFA in Acting and bio writing, Yale School of Drama.

CONOR RYAN (Sam at certain performances) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill after playing Trip in the world premiere of My Very Own British Invasion. Television: “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” on NBC. Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Off-Broadway: Johnny Blood in Desperate Measures at New World Stages (Outer Critics Circle nomination for outstanding actor in a musical) and previously at York Theatre Company; Keen Company’s revival of John & Jen (with Kate Baldwin); Second Stage’s Invisible Thread; Public Theater’s The Fortress of Solitude. Developmental: Charles Bingley in Austen’s Pride (5th Avenue Theatre), Chris McCandless in Into the Wild (The Encore Musical Theatre Company).

NATALIE TORO (Dr. Cortez/Mrs. Smail). Paper Mill debut! Broadway: A Tale of Two Cities (Madame Defarge), A Christmas Carol (Sally), Les Misérables (Eponine). Tours: Evita (Eva Perón), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene), Cats (Grizabella), In the Heights (Camila). Off-Broadway: The Yellow Brick Road, Zombie Prom, The Audience, Pedro Pan. Regional: Benny & Joon (Old Globe), Snow Child (Arena Stage), The Bikinis, Zorba, Blood Brothers, Frances of Guernica, Everything’s Ducky, Fame, The Fix. Television: “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Elementary,” “Person of Interest,” “Black Box,” “Unforgettable.” Soloist with symphony orchestras (Carnegie Hall, Dublin’s National Concert Hall), headliner on major cruise lines around the world, and recording artist.

JACOB KEITH WATSON (Waldo/Video Store Owner). Broadway: Carousel (Enoch Snow), Hello, Dolly!, Violet, The Phantom of the Opera (Joseph Buquet), Amélie. New York/Tour/Regional: 1776 at Encores! (Robert Livingston); the national tour of Chicago (Amos Hart), Bye, Bye, Birdie (Albert), Seussical (Horton), As You Like It (Corin), Twelfth Night (Feste). Symphony: The Music Man (Marcellus Washburn); New York, New York! at the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Germany; Kurt Weill on Broadway at Symphony Space. Jacob is a past winner of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition and the NATS National Music Theater Competition as well as a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

TATIANA WECHSLER (Ruthie). Paper Mill debut! First woman to play Curly in Oklahoma! (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Off-Broadway: X: Or, Betty Shabazz vs. The Nation (Acting Company, Theatre at St. Clement’s/New Victory Theater), Julius Caesar (Acting Company, New Victory Theater), The Golden Bride (National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene). NYC: Othello (Acting Company). Regional: The Legend of Georgia McBride (Marin Theatre Company), Love’s Labor’s Lost (OSF). Tour: X and Julius Caesar (Acting Company). Many concert and reading appearances in major venues around NYC. Big thanks to Nora, the B&J team, and the most supportive family and friends. Proud graduate of NYU Tisch’s New Studio.

KIRSTEN GUENTHER (Book) is the recipient of a Richard Rodgers Award, Rockefeller Grant, Dramatists Guild Fellowship, and a Lincoln Center Honorarium. Current projects include Universal’s Heart and Souls, Measure of Success (Amanda Lipitz Productions), Mrs. Sharp (Richard Rodgers Award workshop; Playwrights Horizons, starring Jane Krakowski, dir. Michael Greif), and writing a new book to Paramount’s Roman Holiday. She wrote the book and lyrics for “Little Miss Fix-it” (as seen on NBC), among others. Previously, Kirsten lived in Paris, where she worked as a Paris correspondent (usatoday.com). MFA, NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. ASCAP and Dramatists Guild.

NOLAN GASSER (Music) is a critically acclaimed composer, pianist, and musicologist—notably, the architect of Pandora Radio’s Music Genome Project. He holds a PhD in Musicology from Stanford University. His original compositions have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, among others. Theatrical projects include the musicals Benny & Joon and Start Me Up and the opera The Secret Garden. His book, Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste (Macmillan), will be released on April 30, 2019, followed by his rock/world CD Border Crossing in June 2019. His TEDx Talk, “Empowering Your Musical Taste,” is available on YouTube.

MINDI DICKSTEIN (Lyrics) wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical Little Women (MTI; Ghostlight/Sh-k-boom). Benny & Joon, based on the MGM film, was a NAMT selection (2016) and had its world premiere at The Old Globe (2017). Mindi’s work has been commissioned, produced, and developed widely, including by Disney (Toy Story: The Musical), Second Stage (Snow in August), Playwrights Horizons (Steinberg Commission), ASCAP Workshop, and Lincoln Center (“Hear and Now: Contemporary Lyricists”). Honors include a Larson Foundation Award and a Constance Klinsky Award from Second Stage. MFA and current faculty: NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Dramatists Guild and ASCAP.

JACK CUMMINGS III (Director) is the artistic director of Transport Group, where his select credits include Summer and Smoke (coproduction with Classic Stage Company), Renascence (codirected with Dick Scanlan), The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Queen of the Mist, The Audience, Strange Interlude, I Remember Mama, Normal, Once Upon a Mattress, Picnic, The Boys in the Band, and Our Town. Other NY credits: Terrence McNally’s And Away We Go, A Thousand Words Come to Mind, Arlington. Regional credits: Benny & Joon (Old Globe), I Remember Mama (Two River). BA, The College of William & Mary; MFA, University of Virginia. He is married to Barbara Walsh.

SCOTT RINK (Choreographer). Off Broadway: Renascence, Once upon a Mattress, Three Days to See, Queen of the Mist, Hello Again, (Transport Group, dir. Jack Cummings III). Regional: Benny & Joon (The Old Globe), Alice in Wonderland (Birmingham Children’s Theatre). Commissioned works include dances for Ailey II, ABT II, Oakland Ballet, The Ailey School, Harvard University, UNCSA, University of Minnesota, among others. Mr. Rink has created a number of works for his company, danceRINK, performed in NYC and abroad. As a dancer, Mr. Rink performed in the companies of Eliot Feld, Elisa Monte, and Karole Armitage and as principal dancer with Lar Lubovitch.

J. OCONER NAVARRO (Music Director). Paper Mill Playhouse debut! J. was most recently music supervisor for Twelfth Night (Public Works/Shakespeare in the Park). Select credits: new arrangements for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); the world premieres of Rain (The Old Globe), Iowa (Playwrights Horizons), First Daughter Suite (Public Theater), Adding Machine (Minetta Lane); the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Theater, and more. J. is the recipient of the American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grant, an alumnus of the Composer-Librettist Studio at New Dramatists, and resident composer at the Church of Saint Paul the Apostle in NYC. Faculty, MFA: NYU. For CMS.

MICHAEL STAROBIN (Orchestrations). Credits: Renascence, Once on This Island, Sunday in the Park with George, Falsettos, Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, Freaky Friday, First Daughter Suite, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Kid Victory, If/Then, Little Miss Sunshine, Annie, Dogfight, Leap of Faith, Queen of the Mist, The People in the Picture, Sondheim on Sondheim, Next to Normal (Tony Award), The Glorious Ones, Grinch, Adrift in Macao, Bernarda Alba, Spelling Bee, Assassins (Tony Award), Tom Sawyer, A New Brain, A Christmas Carol, Hello Again, Guys and Dolls (1992), My Favorite Year, In Trousers, Closer Than Ever, Legs Diamond, Romance/Romance, Carrie, Birds of Paradise, Rags, Three Guys Naked, Von Richtofen.

DANE LAFFREY (Scenic & Costume Design). Broadway: set for Once on This Island (Tony, Drama Desk, Hewes Award nominations); set and costumes for Deaf West’s Spring Awakening; set for Fool for Love. Off Broadway: Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout, Lincoln Center, Second Stage, MCC, Playwrights Horizons, BAM Harvey, Transport Group, Atlantic, Labyrinth, Vineyard, Soho Rep, many others. Regional: Mark Taper Forum, Geffen, Huntington, Hollywood Bowl, Williamstown, The Old Globe, Arena Stage, Geffen Playhouse, many others. International work in Tokyo, Osaka, Oslo, and throughout Australia. 2017 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence; nominations for Tony, Drama Desk, and seven American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Awards.

R. LEE KENNEDY (Lighting Design). Off Broadway: Transport Group: The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, Summer and Smoke (Henry Hewes Design Award nomination), Once Upon a Mattress, I Remember Mama (Henry Hewes Design Award nomination), Queen of the Mist (Henry Hewes Design Award nomination), Hello Again, See Rock City (Drama Desk nomination), Bury the Dead (Drama Desk nomination), Normal, The Audience (Drama Desk nomination); The Pearl Theatre Company: And Away We Go. Regional: The Old Globe: Benny & Joon; Philadelphia Theatre Company: The Outgoing Tide (Barrymore Award nomination), The Light in the Piazza (Barrymore Award). Signature Theatre: Cake Off.

KAI HARADA (Sound Design). Broadway: Head over Heels, The Band’s Visit (Tony Award and Drama Desk Award), Amélie, Sunday in the Park with George, Allegiance, Gigi, Fun Home, On the Town, First Date, Follies (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations), and Million Dollar Quartet. Other: A Chorus Line and Grand Hotel (City Center Encores!); Candide (LA Opera); Little Shop of Horrors, Chess, Little Dancer, and First You Dream (Kennedy Center); Silent Night (Washington National Opera); Zorro (Moscow and Atlanta); Hinterm Horizont (Berlin); Sweeney Todd, and Man of La Mancha (Portland Opera); and The Honeymooners (Paper Mill). Audio consultant for the revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Education: Yale University.

LORENZO PISONI (Clowning & Illusions Coordinator). Broadway: Gary, Beetlejuice, Frozen, Noises Off. Off Broadway: All the Fine Boys, Humor Abuse, Harlequin Studies. Other Credits: Pickle Family Circus, Cirque du Soleil. As an actor, Lorenzo’s work on and off Broadway has been recognized with Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Obie, and Outer Critics Circle awards.

NORA BRENNAN, CSA (Casting) a NYC-based casting director. Broadway: Children’s casting director for Billy Elliot: The Musical, Matilda, The Audience starring Helen Mirren. Nora is resident casting director for Transport Group in NYC. Select musicals and plays: Summer and Smoke (Classic Stage Company); Picnic; Come Back, Little Sheba; Renascence; And Away We Go; Queen of the Mist; Hello Again; All the Way Home; The Dark at the Top of the Stairs; and others. She also cast West Side Story at La Scala Opera House and for the past three years has cast the boys for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

VICTORIA NAVARRO (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: The Lion King, The Color Purple. National tours include Matilda, Annie, Oliver!, and Seussical. Paper Mill: Annie, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. Opera: Santa Fe Opera, Virginia Opera. Vicky is an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch and Montclair University as well as a Maplewood resident.

Accessibility Performances for Benny & Joon

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Benny & Joon on Sun, April 28, at 1:30PM and Saturday, May 4, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes. There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sun, May 5, at 7:00PM.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for Benny & Joon

CONVERSATION CLUB: Join us Thursday evenings, April 4, 11, 16, and 25 one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.

THE DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT: One hour before curtain, at 6:30PM, on Wednesday, April 10, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.

Q&A WITH THE CAST: After the matinee on Saturday, May 4, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Outreach are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family & Harmony Helper.

BENNY & JOON
Book by Kirsten Guenther
Music by Nolan Gasser
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Motion Picture written by Barry Berman & Leslie McNeil
Music Direction by J. Oconer Navarro
Choreography by Scott Rink
Directed by Jack Cummings III

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Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce casting and creative team for Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, based on the film from Universal Pictures, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, and book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge.  Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn will begin performances Wednesday, Nov 21, and will continue through Sunday, Dec 30, at Paper Mill Playhouse. Bank of America is the Major Sponsor of Irving Berlin’s Holiday. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2018–2019 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

Directed by Mr. Greenberg (The Baker’s Wife, 1776 – Paper Mill), and with choreography by Denis Jones (Mary Poppins – Paper Mill, Holiday Inn – Broadway, Tony nomination), music direction by Shawn Gough (Annie, Paper Mill), the principal cast will feature Paige Faure (Honeymoon in Vegas – Paper Mill) as Lila Dixon, Jordon Gelber (Avenue Q) as Danny, Ann Harada (Avenue Q) as Louise,  Jeff Kready (Thoroughly Modern Millie – Paper Mill) as Ted Hanover, Hayley Podschun (Peter Pan – Paper Mill) as Linda Mason, Nicholas Rodriguez (Tarzan) as Jim Hardy with Jian Harrell and Aidan Alberto alternating in the role of Charlie Winslow.

They will be joined by Jordon Beall, Gene Biscontini, Colin Bradbury, Tricia DeSario, Taylor Fields, Kelly Gleason, Juliane Godfrey, Berklea Going, Joshua Israel, Julie Kavanagh, Mallory Nolting, Clifton Samuels, JT Teeling, Karl Skylar Urban, Amy Van Norstrand, Scarlett Walker, Travis Ward-Osborne, and John T. Wolfe.

In this musical based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film, Jim Hardy leaves behind the hustle and bustle of showbiz for a quiet life on a Connecticut farm. Jim’s agrarian efforts are a flop, but things start looking up when he falls for a talented schoolteacher, and together they infuse their sleepy rural setting with some Broadway razzle-dazzle. Fresh from a Broadway run, this heartwarming, toe-tapping production features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including “Easter Parade,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” and “White Christmas.”

The production team includes set design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Jeff Croiter, sound design by Matt Kraus, hair and wig design by Charles G. Lapointe. The production stage manager is Victoria Navarro. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Laura Wade, CSA.

Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wed—Sun. Performance schedule: Wed at 7:00PM, Thu at 1:30PM and 7:00PM, Fri at 7:00PM, Sat at 1:30PM and 7:00PM and Sun at 1:30PM and 7:00PM. Please note: There are no performances on Nov 22 (Thanksgiving Day), Dec 24 (Christmas Eve) and Dec 25 (Christmas Day). Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online by clicking here. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by calling 973.379.3717.  Students may order $23-$28 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance. Bank of America is the Major Sponsor of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.

“Bank of America is committed to supporting arts and culture in our local markets. We are proud to sponsor Paper Mill Playhouse and its production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. Organizations like Paper Mill Playhouse help economies thrive and enable individuals to connect with each other across cultures,” said Robert Doherty, president, Bank of America New Jersey. “Holiday Inn is a classic and is guaranteed to make your days merry and bright!”

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PAIGE FAURE (Lila Dixon) is pleased to return to Paper Mill, having previously appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas and On the Town. Broadway: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Ella), Miss Saigon (Ellen u/s), Bullets Over Broadway (Ellen u/s), How to Succeed… (Hedy LaRue). Off Broadway: Joan in Taste of Things to Come. National Tours: R&H Cinderella, A Chorus Line, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Little Women, Aida. Selected regional: Paige in the world premiere of The Heart of Rock & Roll, the new Huey Lewis musical (Old Globe); Lorene in From Here to Eternity (FLMTF); Chess (Kennedy Center); Nice Work… (Eileen) and Seven Brides… (Milly) at Sacramento Music Circus; The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet) at NCT.

JORDAN GELBER (Danny) is excited to make his Paper Mill Playhouse debut. Broadway: Sunday in the Park with George, Buddy in Elf, All My Sons, Avenue Q (original Broadway and Off Broadway cast). Off Broadway: Two Thousand Years, The Joke. TV: Elementary’s M.E. Hawes, Insatiable, The Black List, Mindhunter, Mr. Robot, Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, Rescue Me, Law & Order: SVU, The Sopranos. Film: upcoming The Kitchen, Bleed for This, Dark Horse, Everyday People (IFP/Gotham Award nomination).

ANN HARADA (Louise) originated the role of Christmas Eve in the Broadway and West End productions of Avenue Q and stepsister Charlotte in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Broadway. Other Broadway: Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables (revival), 9 to 5, Seussical, and M. Butterfly. She performed her solo concert in Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series in 2014. Film: Sisters, Trouble, Youth in Oregon, Admission, Hope Springs, Feel, Happiness. TV includes “Smash” (as Linda, the stage manager), “Lipstick Jungle,” “30 Rock,” “Doubt,” “The Good Wife,” “House of Cards,” “Master of None,” “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” “Search Party,” “Younger.”

JEFF KREADY (Ted Hanover). Paper Mill: Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Broadway: Monty Navarro in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, Tony Elliot in Billy Elliot, Sunday in the Park with George, and Les Misérables (Jean Valjean u/s). Regional: Tommy in Brigadoon (Pittsburgh CLO), Mr. Snow in Carousel (Goodspeed Opera House), and David Sedaris’s one-man show Santaland Diaries (Hartford TheaterWorks). TV: “The Good Fight” (CBS), “Elementary” (recurring, CBS), “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO). Graduate of Washburn University and former elementary school music teacher. Favorite roles: husband to Nikki, father to Lena (5) and Louise (1). Up next: Tootsie, opening on Broadway this spring.

HAYLEY PODSCHUN (Linda Mason) was last seen at Paper Mill as Wendy in Peter Pan. This is her second time at the Inn, having originated the role of Lila Dixon at Goodspeed Opera House. She played Glinda in the national tour of Wicked, and her Broadway credits include Hello, Dolly!; Something Rotten!; Chaplin (Mildred Harris); Anything Goes; Pal Joey; Sunday in the Park with George; Hairspray (also national tour); and The Sound of Music. TV/Film: “The Blacklist,” “Louie,” “Hairspray” (Tammy).

NICHOLAS RODRIGUEZ (Jim Hardy). Broadway: Tarzan. National Tour: The Sound of Music (Captain von Trapp). Off Broadway: Toxic Avenger, Almost Heaven, Colette Collage, Bajour. Carnegie Hall: Guys and Dolls. Regional: Carousel (Helen Hayes nomination), Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma! (Helen Hayes Award), My Fair Lady (Helen Hayes nomination), Destiny of Desire, and The Light in the Piazza all at Arena Stage, The Ten Commandments at the Kodak Theatre, Muny, ZACH Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Maltz Jupiter Theatre. Film: Sex and the City 2. Television: “Madam Secretary,” Nick Chavez on ABC’s “One Life to Live” (GLAAD Award). His debut album, The First Time…, is now available.

JIAN HARRELL (Charlie Winslow) is thrilled to be making his professional stage debut. Other favorite projects include “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Jian is proud to be part of Hoboken Children’s Theater.

AIDAN ALBERTO (Charlie Winslow Alternate) is excited to be in Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn. Aidan has had principal roles in school musicals and local community theaters. Trained at Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Conservatory (2017), he has under his belt many voiceovers and commercials.

IRVING BERLIN (Music & Lyrics) wrote scores to 13 Broadway musicals, contributed to seven revues, and wrote songs for 12 classic Hollywood movie musicals. Born in Russia, he immigrated to the Lower East Side of New York City, where he started his career as a singing waiter and soon became a lyricist, composer, and music publisher. He built the Music Box Theatre to house his Music Box Revues. Among his more than 1,200 songs, many of which are considered classics today, is “God Bless America,” for which he established a fund that receives all revenue from the song and distributes it to the Boy and Girl Scouts.

GORDON GREENBERG (Director, Co-author) directed and cowrote the Broadway stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (Roundabout/Universal, PBS’s Great Performances) and directed the acclaimed West End revival of Guys and Dolls, which starred Rebel Wilson and received six Olivier Award nominations (Savoy Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre). Recent/current work includes The Heart of Rock & Roll (Old Globe); Barnum (Chocolate Factory, London); Terms of Endearment starring Alfred Molina, Calista Flockhart, and Constance Wu (Geffen); cowriting/directing The Secret of My Success (Universal Stage Productions); directing Dietrich:Piaf (Mirvish, Toronto); writing the new book for Meet Me in St. Louis (Muny); cowriting/directing Mystic Pizza (MGM/Araca); cowriting Port Au Prince (New Group); cowriting/directing Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big (Your Town Here) Christmas Show (Bucks County, Old Globe); cowriting/directing The Curious Case of the Curse of Count Dracula (Maltz); and cowriting original movie musicals for the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Other credits: Jacques Brel… (Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics nominations), Working (Drama Desk), Disney’s Tangled. Paper Mill: The Baker’s Wife, Pirates!, 1776, Happy Days. Regional: Williamstown, Muny, Goodspeed, Huntington, Signature, Dallas Theater Center, NY Stage and Film, Philadelphia Theatre Company. Education: Stanford, NYU, RADA. Member, SDC, WGA, The Dramatists Guild. Co-Artistic Director, Broadway Teaching Group. Artistic Associate, New Group.

CHAD HODGE (Co-author) co-created and was showrunner and executive producer of TNT’s drama “Good Behavior.” He also created and executive produced “Wayward Pines” on Fox. In addition, he created NBC’s The Playboy Club and the CW’s Runaway. His film projects include The Darkest Minds for 20th Century Fox, based on the New York Times bestselling trilogy by Alexandra Bracken, which was released in Aug 2018, and Anita, about notorious singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant. Hodge grew up in Chicago and graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University. He lives in Los Angeles.

DENIS JONES (Choreographer). Paper Mill Playhouse: Mary Poppins, Honeymoon in Vegas, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Damn Yankees, The Full Monty, High School Musical, Meet Me in St. Louis. Broadway: Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (Tony Award nomination for best choreography), Honeymoon in Vegas. Other recent credits: How to Succeed… (Kennedy Center); Hey, Look Me Over! and Paint Your Wagon (NY City Center Encores!); Crazy for You (Signature—Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Goodspeed); The Wiz and 42nd Street (Muny—St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography); Moonshine: That Hee-Haw Musical (Dallas Theater Center); A Funny Thing…Forum (Two River/Williamstown). Upcoming: Tootsie.

SHAWN GOUGH (Music Director) is thrilled to return for his sixth production at Paper Mill! Previously: The Color Purple, Annie, The Honeymooners, Pirates!, Happy Days. Broadway: Billy Elliot; Violet; Nice Work If You Can Get It; The Light in the Piazza; Sunday in the Park with George; Into the Woods; The Frogs; Kiss Me, Kate!; The Music Man; Aladdin; Les Misérables; Dames at Sea; Chicago; Big Fish; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; The Coast of Utopia; Annie Get Your Gun; The Lion King; Mary Poppins; The Drowsy Chaperone. Off Broadway: Carmen Jones; Cagney; Shockheaded Peter; A Man of No Importance; Tick, Tick…Boom!. Upcoming: Marie by Ahrens and Flaherty, directed by Susan Stroman.

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, 25th Annual…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), Holiday Inn, Dames at Sea, Honeymoon in Vegas, It Shoulda Been You, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Avenue Q, The Performers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Curtains, Baby It’s You!, To Be or Not to Be, All About Me, Steel Magnolias, Golda’s Balcony. Recent Off Broadway/regional: Kings (Public Theater), Evita (Bay Street).

ALEJO VIETTI (Costume Design). Paper Mill: Spelling Bee, Damn Yankees, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. New York: Broadway’s Holiday Inn, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (also West End—Olivier nomination, national tour, Japan, UK tour, Australia), Allegiance (Drama Desk nomination). Works for the Radio City Rockettes, Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC Opera, City Center Encores!, Atlantic Theater, among many others, as well as the current revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Selected regional: Alley, Hartford Stage, Goodspeed, Guthrie Theatre, Arena Stage, Old Globe, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera. Other: Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame (US premiere, Japan, Germany), Ringling Brothers. TDF Irene Sharaff Young Master Award.

JEFF CROITER (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: over a dozen productions including Newsies and Bandstand. Broadway: Bandstand, Falsettos, Holiday Inn, Something Rotten!, Disaster!, Penn & Teller, Newsies, Peter and the Starcatcher, Mothers and Sons, Soul Doctor, Jekyll & Hyde, The Anarchist, The Performers, The Pee-wee Herman Show, Next Fall, Kiki and Herb. Off Broadway includes The True, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Tiny Beautiful Things, Cost of Living, Sweet Charity, Head of Passes, The Last Five Years. Other: Big Apple Circus, Penn & Teller in Las Vegas, Jennifer Muller/The Works. Jeff has received Tony, Hewes, and Bass Awards and Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lortel, Ovation, Irne, and Audelco nominations.

MATT KRAUS (Sound Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Lend Me a Tenor and Newsies. Broadway: Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony, Liza’s at the Palace…. Off Broadway: Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Forbidden Broadway, Fat Camp, Voca People. Elsewhere: Evita (St. Louis Rep); West Side Story (Barrington Stage); Evita and Ragtime (PA Shakespeare); The World Goes ’Round (Bucks County Playhouse); Buddy Holly Story (Walnut Street); Absinthe (Caesars Las Vegas); audio coordinator for remote shoots at “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Matt recently won a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall in London.

CHARLES G. LAPOINTE (Hair & Wig Design). Previously at Paper Mill Playhouse: The Sting, The Color Purple, The Outsider, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Over 90 Broadway shows including Hamilton, The Band’s Visit, Beautiful, Anastasia, Torch Song, SpongeBob SquarePants (2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Wig and Hair Design), Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Amélie, Motown: The Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, The Color Purple, In the Heights. Upcoming Broadway: The Cher Show, Beetlejuice. Television: “The Wiz Live!” (Emmy Award nomination), “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (Emmy Award nomination), “Blue Bloods,” “American Crime,” “Madoff,” “Hairspray.”

VICTORIA NAVARRO (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: The Lion King, The Color Purple. National tours include Matilda, Annie, Oliver!, and Seussical. Paper Mill: Annie. Opera: Santa Fe Opera, Virginia Opera. Vicky is an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch and Montclair University as well as a Maplewood resident.

TELSEY + COMPANY (Casting). Broadway/Tours: Network; The Cher Show; The Prom; American Son; Torch Song; Pretty Woman; My Fair Lady; Mean Girls; Frozen; Once on This Island; Anastasia; Come from Away; Waitress; Hamilton; Kinky Boots; Wicked; Hello, Dolly!; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; On Your Feet!. Off Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, MCC Theater, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Second Stage Theater. Film: Mary Poppins Returns, Ben Is Back, The Greatest Showman, Miss Sloane, Into the Woods, Margin Call, Rachel Getting Married. TV: “Murphy Brown,” “This Is Us,” “House of Cards,” “Divorce,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “One Day at a Time,” “Atypical,” “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” commercials.

Accessibility Performances for Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn on Saturday, Dec 29, at 1:30PM and Sunday, Dec 30, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes.  There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sunday, Dec 30, at 7:00PM.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn

Conversation Club: Join us Thursday evenings, Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, 20 one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.
The Director’s Viewpoint: One hour before curtain at 6:00PM on Wednesday, Nov 21, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.
Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Saturday, Dec 15, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

Paper Mill Playhouse’s 80th anniversary season continues in the winter with the world-premiere musical My Very Own British Invasion (Jan 31—Mar 3), directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. The 1960s British music scene comes to life with songs from Herman’s Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Moody Blues, and other legendary bands of the era. The spring brings the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon (April 4—May 5). Based on the 1993 film which starred Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The final production of the season, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (May 29—Jun 30), is an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice.

Paper Mill Playhouse will once again, be a collection point for this year’s ‘Jersey Cares’ Coat Drive during the run of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.  For the past 22 years, The Jersey Cares Coat Drive has mobilized the collection and distribution of thousands of “gently used” winter coats to men, women, children, and infants in need. Last year, Jersey Cares collected more than 30,000 coats throughout the state of New Jersey.  Paper Mill Playhouse has been a collection partner for more than a decade and will be collecting gently used winter coats from Nov 1—Dec 30, 2018. Collection of coats will take place in the lobby at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ.

The post Casting Announced For Holiday Inn appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

Paper Mill Playhouse donors, patrons and stakeholders have the opportunity to dedicate a seat in the newly renovated theater, a visible and lasting way to show your support for Paper Mill Playhouse. Your inspiration for inscribing a seat plaque can come from anywhere, for any reason meaningful to you. You can dedicate a seat as an individual, couple, or family for your children, grandchildren, parents, in memory of a loved one or with the name of your business or organization. Pricing for seat locations is as follows: Orchestra seats $3,000; Mezzanine Box seats $1,500; Mezzanine seats $750. We will honor all seat requests on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to those who have a current seat named. You can call 973.315.1659 or click here to order a seat or for more information. Seat name recognition does not guarantee any seat location for future performances.

The summer theater renovation is being funded by the Ferolito family.

“We have been staunch supporters of Paper Mill Playhouse for more than two decades,”

said Paper Mill Playhouse Trustee Carolyn Ferolito.

“Paper Mill Playhouse is a New Jersey gem that contributes greatly to the quality of life in our state. We are proud of the many education programs Paper Mill provides that extend beyond our campus and impacts our communities. We are happy to provide the resources for the needed renovation of the theater.”

“This very generous gift from the Ferolito family will be transformational for the theater and our ability to serve the community,”

remarked Paper Mill Playhouse Board Chair James Fakult.

“The philanthropic support of individuals like the Ferolito’s is greatly appreciated and of vital importance to arts organizations like Paper Mill Playhouse. This gift will allow our theater to continue its legacy for many years to come.”

COMING UP:

The annual New Voices concert, the culmination of Paper Mill Playhouse’s Summer Musical Theater Conservatory, will take place at Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State University during the renovation period. This year’s concert, entitled New Voices of 2018: From Sea to Shining Sea will take place Friday, July 27 at 7:30PM and Saturday, July 28 at 1:30PM and 7:30PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, click here, or at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn.

Paper Mill Playhouse’s 80^th Anniversary 2018—2019 season will open with the Tony Award-winning musical, The Color Purple (September 26–October 21). Next, a family musical just in time for the season, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (November 21–December 30), comes to Paper Mill Playhouse, based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film. This heartwarming, toe-tapping production features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including “Easter Parade,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” and “White Christmas.” Next winter, Paper Mill Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical My Very Own British Invasion (January 31–March 3), directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The 1960s British music scene comes to life with songs from Herman’s Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Moody Blues, and other legendary bands of the era. The spring brings the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon (April 4–May 5). Based on the 1993 film that starred Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The final production of the season, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (May 29–June 30), an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award–winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice.

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Three, four, and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits. Youth subscriptions are available for children ages 4–18 with the purchase of an adult subscription with accessible discount pricing. Single tickets will go on sale August 20 starting at just $35. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online by clicking here.  Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted.  Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Titles, casting and dates subject to change.

The post Paper Mill Playhouse Announces Seat Dedication Campaign appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce John Doyle’s production of The Color Purple will open the 2018-2019 season, replacing the previously announced Unmasked. The Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple that exhilarated Broadway will thrill audiences at Paper Mill Playhouse from September 26–October 21. With a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, The Color Purple is an unforgettable and moving revival of the American classic. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-nominated feature film, The Color Purple leaves its mark on the soul. Casting will be announced at a later date.

From Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated film comes a stage musical with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, and Allee Willis. This stirring family chronicle follows the inspirational Celie as she journeys from childhood through joy and despair, anguish and hope to discover the power of love and life. The original Broadway production ran from 2005 to 2008, earning eleven Tony Award nominations. An enthusiastically acclaimed Broadway revival opened in late 2015 and ran through early 2017, winning two 2016 Tony Awards—including Best Revival of a Musical.

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday–Sunday. Three, four, and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits. Youth subscriptions are available for children ages 4-18 with the purchase of an adult subscription with accessible discount pricing. Single tickets will go on sale on August 20 starting at just $35. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online.  Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted.  Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Subscribers who have chosen Unmasked as part of their series will automatically have their seats transferred to The Color Purple. If subscribers would like add tickets to The Color Purple or modify their subscription, they can call the Paper Mill Playhouse subscriptions office at 973.379.3717.

Following The Color Purple, Paper Mill Playhouse will produce Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (November 21–December 30) based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film. This heartwarming, toe-tapping production features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including “Easter Parade,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” and “White Christmas.” Next winter, Paper Mill Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical My Very Own British Invasion (January 31–March 3), directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The 1960s British music scene comes to life with songs from Herman’s Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Moody Blues, and other legendary bands of the era. The spring brings the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon (April 4–May 5). Based on the 1993 film which starred Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The final production of the season, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (May 29–June 30), an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award–winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice. Titles, casting and dates subject to change.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audience an opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions.  Have you ever wanted to sneak a peek behind the curtain? Or wondered what the director was thinking, or how the cast prepares for a show? Join us for one of many revealing insider’s experiences.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers people with disabilities the opportunity to see live theater with dignity and independence through a myriad of award-winning access programs and services, including audio description and sensory seminars for the blind, Braille and large-print programs, American Sign Language interpretation for the deaf, open-captioning for those with hearing loss, and assistive listening devices. In addition, Paper Mill Playhouse provides Autism-friendly performances of both mainstage and children’s shows throughout the season.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director) and recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is one of the country’s leading regional theaters.  Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on 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.

The post New Show Just Announced appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

FEATURING:
Haven Burton, Lori Tan Chinn, André De Shields, Madeleine Doherty, Tracy Jai Edwards, Georgia Engel, Mary Claire King, Donna McKechnie, Lenora Nemetz, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Nancy Ticotin, Kay Walbye, and Lillias White.

Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, announced today the full cast and creative team for the East Coast premiere of Half Time, a new musical, with book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and additional music by Marvin Hamlisch and Ester Dean. Half Time begins performances Thursday, May 31, for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. Opening night is set for Tuesday, June 12, at 7:30 PM. Half Time is produced in association with Dori Berinstein and Bill Damaschke. Bank of America is the Major Sponsor of Half Time. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2017–2018 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

Half Time will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell and co-choreographed by Nick Kenkel with music direction by Charlie Alterman. The cast will feature previously announced five-time Emmy nominee Georgia Engel (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” The Drowsy Chaperone) and Tony and Emmy Award winner Lillias White (The Life, “Sesame Street”) along with André De Shields (The Wiz, The Full Monty, Ain’t Misbehavin’). The newest addition to this stellar cast is Tony award winner and Broadway legend Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) who with this all-star cast will tell the uplifting true story of ten New Jersey seniors with extraordinary dreams. Half Time is based on the motion picture “Gotta Dance,” directed, written and produced by Dori Berinstein.

From the director/choreographer of Kinky Boots comes the incredible true story of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at half time for a major basketball team. They have three things in common: they love to dance, they have something to prove, and they are all over 60. Only after making the cut do they learn they won’t be dancing tap, salsa or swing—instead, they will bring down the house with a style that is entirely new to them: hip-hop. Take the uplifting journey with these dreamers—and the young coaches who inspire them along the way—as they battle self-doubt, stereotypes and even each other for a chance to bust a move at center court in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Together they remind us that in life, when the odds are stacked against you and the challenges seem too great to overcome, it’s not the end of the game—it’s Half Time.

The principal cast will feature André De Shields as Ron, Georgia Engel as Dorothy/Dottie, Donna McKechnie as Joanne, Lillias White as Bea, who will be joined by Haven Burton as Tara, Lori Tan Chinn as Mae, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe as Kendra, Nancy Ticotin as Camilla, Madeleine Doherty as Estelle, Tracy Jai Edwards as Alison Prager, Mary Claire King as Jenny, Lenora Nemetz as Fran, and Kay Walbye as Muriel.

Rounding out the cast are Alexander Aguilar, Ken Ard, Sydni Beaudoin, Tami Dahbura, Paula DeLuise, Gabriela Garcia, Talya Groves, Kathryn Kendall, Valton Jackson, Summerisa Bell Stevens, Garrett Turner and Gayle Turner.

“We are excited to welcome legends André De Shields, Georgia Engel, Donna McKechnie and Lillias White to Paper Mill Playhouse,”

commented Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill Playhouse’s Producing Artistic Director.

“This new musical, inspired by the documentary Gotta Dance, is a true New Jersey story that will be thrilling for audiences of any age.”

The creative team of Half Time reunites Mitchell with his Kinky Boots collaborators, including Tony Award winner David Rockwell (Scenic Design), Tony Award winner Gregg Barnes (Costume Design) and Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), along with Nick Kenkel (Co-Choreography), Randy Hansen (Sound Design), Jason Lee Courson (Projection Design), Drama Desk nominee Josh Marquette (Hair and Wig Design), Tony Award winner Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), and Telsey + Company (Casting). The Production Stage Manager is Jason Brouillard.

Half Time will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wed—Sun. Performance schedule: Wed at 7:30PM, Thur at 1:30PM and 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Sat at 1:30PM and 8:00PM, and Sunat 1:30PM and 7:00PM.

Find Tickets

Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of 10 or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Students may order $23 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse box office on the day of the performance. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2017–2018 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

André De Shields (Ron). In a career spanning 49 years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, and educator. A multiple Tony Award nominee, Mr. De Shields is the recipient of the 2012 Fox Foundation Fellowship/Distinguished Achievement, the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award, the 2007 Village Voice Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance, and the 2018 Bob Harrington Bistro Award for Lifetime Achievement. He is best known for his showstopping performances in six legendary Broadway productions: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award), Play On!, The Full Monty, Mark Medoff’s Prymate, and Impressionism (with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons).

Georgia Engel (Dorothy/Dottie) is excited to be making her debut here at Paper Mill Playhouse with this production of Half Time. Georgia last appeared on Broadway creating the role of Mrs. Tottendale in The Drowsy Chaperone. Other Broadway credits include My One and Only and Hello, Dolly! with Ethel Merman. Off Broadway, Georgia received an Obie Award for Annie Baker’s John (Signature Theatre), directed by Sam Gold. She also appeared in Annie Baker’s translation of Uncle Vanya (Soho Rep), also directed by Sam Gold, and Will Eno’s Middletown (Vineyard Theatre). Television: “Hot in Cleveland,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” (three Emmy nominations), “Coach,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ (two Emmy nominations).

Donna McKechnie (Joanne) was last seen at Paper Mill Playhouse as Sally in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. She received a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for her performance in A Chorus Line. Other Broadway shows include How to Succeed…; The Education of Hyman Kaplan; Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (also choreographed); On the Town; Promises, Promises; Company; State Fair (Astaire Award); and The Visit. Besides regional theaters across the country, Donna has starred in numerous productions in London’s West End, Paris, and Tokyo. She has guest starred extensively with symphony orchestras throughout this country, on television, and in film. Her memoir, Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life, was published by Simon and Schuster.

Lillias White (Bea). Select Broadway credits include Fela! (Tony nomination), The Life (Tony Award), Chicago, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cats, Once on This Island, and Dreamgirls. Film/TV: The Get Down, Gotham, Person of Interest, Nasty Baby, Smash, Pieces of April, Gloria, Disney’s Hercules, Sesame Street (Emmy Award), Law & Order. Off Broadway/Regional: Texas in Paris (Lortel nomination); While I Yet Live; Love, Loss, and What I Wore; The Best Is Yet to Come; Purlie; Dinah Was; Crowns; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (NAACP Theatre Award); Vagina Monologues; Romance in Hard Times (Obie Award); among numerous others.

Haven Burton (Tara) is overjoyed to make her Paper Mill debut. Broadway credits include Kinky Boots (Lauren), Violet (standby for Sutton Foster), Shrek (Gingy, Fiona u/s), Legally Blonde (Margot, Elle u/s), Rent (Maureen). Off Broadway, regional, and tours include Gotta Dance (Tara), Disaster! (Marianne), Nobody Loves You, Shrek (first national tour and PCLO, Fiona), Rent (national tour, Mrs. C), Santa Rosa Symphony Pops. She can be seen with her son on season one of High maintenance (HBO).

Lori Tan Chinn (Mae) was born and raised in Seattle, WA. Broadway: Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen (Broadway and theatrical debut), G. R. Point, M. Butterfly. Off Broadway: The Primary English Class, G. R. Point, The Ballad of Soapy Smith. Regional: Arena Stage (South Pacific, Bloody Mary—Helen Hayes Award); Goodman Theatre (Peter Sellars’s The Merchant of Venice); Walnut Street Theatre (South Pacific); O’Neill National Playwrights Conference (seven seasons as an actor, five seasons as a reader to artistic director Lloyd Richards). Film: Mickey Blue Eyes, What About Bob?, Glengarry Glen Ross, She-Devil. Television: “Orange Is the New Black,” “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific” (Bloody Mary), “Roseanne.”

Nkeki Obi-Melekwe (Kendra) is thrilled to make her Paper Mill debut in Half Time! Fresh out of the University of Michigan, her university credits include One Hit Wonder (Fiona), The Drowsy Chaperone (Chaperone), and American Idiot. Other credits include All Shook Up (Muny) and Mamma Mia!, Aida, Shrek, and South Pacific (Pittsburgh CLO).

Nancy Ticotin (Camilla), a native New Yorker, made her Broadway debut at age 10. Film: Ransom, The Wiz, Hackers, The History of Future Folk. TV: “Taken,” “Law & Order,” “SVU,” “Orange Is the New Black.” Ticotin is an original member of Ballet Hispánico of NY. She was the sole mezzo-soprano in the nine-member operetta Great Day in the Morning at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris with Jessye Norman, directed by Robert Wilson. Broadway: The King and I, West Side Story, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Damn Yankees, In the Heights. First National Tour: On Your Feet (Gloria Fajardo). Highlight: guest star with New York City Ballet as Anita in West Side Story Suite.

Madeleine Doherty (Estelle) appeared in six Broadway shows including the original casts of The Producers, A Christmas Carol, Sister Act, Gigi, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She recently appeared in The Producers at Paper Mill Playhouse reprising the role she originated on Broadway. Over 50 regional productions and five national tours.

Tracy Jai Edwards (Alison Prager). Broadway: Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, Serena in Legally Blonde (also MTV). Off Broadway, regional, and international credits: Ruthless, She Loves Me, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (with Ann-Margret), Guys and Dolls, Grease: Das Musical, and many more. TV: “Odd Mom Out,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “White Collar,” to name a few.

Mary Claire King (Jenny) is back at Paper Mill after appearing in Oliver! in 2013. Broadway: War Paint. Tour: Catch Me If You Can. Regional: Goodman, Theatre Under the Stars, North Shore Music Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Flat Rock Playhouse. Proud member of Range A Capella, which has been featured performing on E!, Nickelodeon, and with Kelly Clarkson in her Piece by Piece tour at Radio City Music Hall.

Lenora Nemetz (Fran) left her native Pittsburgh as a teenager to work on Broadway. She began her career with her Broadway debut in Cabaret. A protégé of Bob Fosse, Nemetz first came to the attention of New York critics when she replaced Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly in Fosse’s production of Chicago. She went on to create the role of Delores Dante in the Broadway production of Working, garnering a Drama Desk Award nomination. She co-starred with Peter Allen in his one man show Up in One both on Broadway and in Los Angeles. Nemetz co-starred with Chita Rivera as Angel in The Rink filling in for Liza Minnelli. National tours include Sweet Charity, Bye Bye Birdie and Some Like it Hot. She appeared in Paper Mill Playhouse’s Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2013.

Kay Walbye (Muriel) Paper Mill Playhouse: Run for Your Wife, It Runs in the Family, Out of Order. Broadway: Titanic, Urinetown, The Secret Garden, Run for Your Wife (original companies); Grease, The Rose Tattoo (Circle in the Square). Lincoln Center: Show Boat (NY Philharmonic). Encores!: Juno, Bye Bye Birdie. Regional: Gotta Dance (Chicago), Damn Yankees (Arena Stage—Helen Hayes nomination), Damn Yankees (North Shore Music Theatre—IRNE nomination), Pygmalion (Alley Theatre), Oklahoma! (Sacramento Music Circus), The Front Page (Williamstown Theatre Festival). TV: “The Blacklist,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Bob Martin (Book) has been working as an actor and writer for over three decades. He has received many awards in both Canada and the US, including a Tony for The Drowsy Chaperone. Recent TV projects include “Slings & Arrows,” seasons 1, 2, and 3 (TMN, Sundance); Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays (CBC); Michael: Every Day (CBC); Sensitive Skin, seasons 1 and 2 (HBO); and Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (NBC). Recent theater projects include, Encores! (NYC), The Prom (Atlanta), Gotta Dance (Chicago), Elf (Broadway, Dublin, London), The Drowsy Chaperone (Toronto, Broadway, London), Second City Toronto (performer, director, artistic director). In development: The Sting (Paper Mill Playhouse), Millions, The Prince Bride.

Chad Beguelin (Book) is a four-time Tony nominee whose works include Disney’s Aladdin (Tony Award nominations for best book and best original score, Drama Desk Award nominations for outstanding lyrics and book), and The Wedding Singer (Tony Award nominations for best book and best original score, Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding lyrics). He also wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical Elf. He is the recipient of the Edward Kleban Award for lyric writing, the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award, and the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award.

Matthew Sklar (Music, Arrangements) a Tony, Emmy, and Drama Desk Award–nominated composer, proudly began his professional career as a rehearsal pianist at Paper Mill Playhouse. As composer on Broadway: Elf, The Wedding Singer (Tony Award nomination for best original score). TV/film credits include Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (2015 Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding music direction), Sesame Street, Wonder Pets!, and PBS American Masters. Awards: ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theater Award, Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award. Upcoming: The Prom, premiering this fall on Broadway at the Cort Theatre.

Nell Benjamin (Lyrics) Broadway: Legally Blonde, with Laurence O’Keefe (Olivier Award, Tony nomination); Mean Girls, with Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond. Off Broadway and Regional: The Explorer’s Club (Outer Critics Circle Award); Cam Jansen; Sarah, Plain and Tall; Because of Winn Dixie; Pirates!; 3hree. New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve and Young People’s Concerts. TV: Unhappily Ever After; Whoa! Sunday with Mo Rocca; The Electric Company; Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris; Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway; Julie’s Greenroom. Upcoming musicals: Huzzah!, Life of the Party, Dave. Grateful recipient of the Kleban Award and a Jonathan Larson Grant.

Marvin Hamlisch (Additional Music) winner of three Academy Awards, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, three Golden Globes, and the Pulitzer Prize, wrote the music for the Broadway musicals A Chorus Line, They’re Playing Our Song, Smile, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell of Success, and more. His prolific output of film scores includes The Way We Were, The Sting, Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, and Ice Castles, among many others. He also composed for and conducted symphony orchestras and served as arranger and music director for Barbra Streisand.

Ester Dean (Finale), a singer, actress, and Grammy Award–nominated songwriter, started her musical journey at a young age. She broke into the big leagues when she collaborated with Rihanna to write and record her first number-one hit, “Rude Boy,” followed by “What’s My Name,” “Where Have You Been,” and several other Rihanna hits, as well Katie Perry’s “Firework” and Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass,” among many more. She lent her voiceover talent to the animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift and Rio, and she has contributed to movie soundtracks, including “Let It Grow” for The Lorax. Ester starred as Cynthia Rose in Pitch Perfect and its two sequels.

Jerry Mitchell (Director/Choregrapher) received Broadway’s Tony Award for Best Choreography twice, for the revival of La Cage aux Folles and Kinky Boots, for which he was also nominated as director. Most recently on Broadway, Jerry directed the Gloria Estefan musical On Your Feet!. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for his choreography in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which he also directed and coproduced in the West End. In the 35 preceding years, Jerry has been involved with over 50 Broadway, West End, and touring productions, including as choreographer of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Full Monty (Tony nomination); The Rocky Horror Show; Hairspray (Tony nomination, also NBC’s live telecast); Gypsy; Never Gonna Dance (Tony nomination); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony nomination); La Cage aux Folles; Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), which he also directed; Catch Me If You Can; and Kinky Boots. He also directed and choreographed the new musical based on the iconic film Pretty Woman, which will open on Broadway later this summer.

Nick Kenkel (Co-Choreographer & Associate Director) is directing/choreographing NBC’s The Voice in residency at the Hard Rock Casino opening in Vegas in September. Nick has directed/choreographed acclaimed productions of Evita, Chicago, Dreamgirls, and Legally Blonde for North Shore Music Theatre. He also conceived and directed Wonderland for Celebrity Cruises. Nick has served as director/choreographer for Broadway Bares since 2013, raising over $1.5 million each year for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He served as associate director/co-choreographer for Peepshow in Vegas. Nick choreographs regularly for Saturday Night Live and is a recurring choreographer for the NBA’s Brooklynettes at Barclays Center.

Charlie Alterman (Music Director, Vocal Arrangements). Broadway: Music director for the Tony Award–winning revival of Pippin and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Next to Normal, as well as Godspell and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Other Broadway credits include Legally Blonde (associate conductor). National Tour: Grease. Off Broadway favorites: Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver and Silence!: The Musical. Regional work includes the Old Globe, Muny, A.R.T., TUTS, Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Trinity Rep, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Concert appearances include shows with Brooke Shields, Frankie Avalon, Dana Reeve, Emily Skinner, Billy Porter, Carol Woods, and Ken Page.

David Rockwell (Scenic Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Hairspray. Broadway: Lobby Hero, She Loves Me (Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards), On the Twentieth Century (Tony nomination), You Can’t Take It With You (Tony nomination), Kinky Boots (Tony nomination), Lucky Guy (Tony nomination), Hairspray (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), and upcoming productions of Pretty Woman and Tootsie. Off Broadway: Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. Founder and president of Rockwell Group, the architecture firm that recently renovated the Helen Hayes Theater for Second Stage. Honors: AIANY President’s Award, Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, Presidential Design Award.

Gregg Barnes (Costume Design). Broadway: Mean Girls, Pretty Woman (upcoming), Tuck Everlasting (Tony nomination), Something Rotten! (Tony nomination), Aladdin, Kinky Boots (Tony nomination, Olivier Award), Follies (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award), Elf, Legally Blonde (Tony nomination), The Drowsy Chaperone (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, Olivier nom.), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Flower Drum Song (Tony nomination), Side Show. Other: Dreamgirls (Olivier nomination), Sinatra (Radio City), Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Pageant (Olivier nomination), The Kathy & Mo Show. TDF Young Master Award. Gregg was the resident costume designer at Paper Mill Playhouse from 1989 to 1999 and designed close to 40 shows within that decade.

Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design) has more than 60 Broadway play and musical credits. He designs extensively Off Broadway and for resident theaters and touring productions throughout the United States as well as internationally. Selected Broadway credits: Mean Girls, War Paint, Tuck Everlasting, Disgraced, On Your Feet!, If/Then, Kinky Boots, Pippin, Cinderella, Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Legally Blonde, Catch Me If You Can, The Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck, Other Desert Cities, The Merchant of Venice, The Little Foxes, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Finding Neverland, Wicked. Paper Mill: Once on This Island. He is the recipient of Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and OBIE Awards.

Randy Hansen (Sound Design). Randy has designed sound for more than 150 musicals and 50 plays. Many memorable moments include working with the opera star Jessye Norman, the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Having recently opened a national tour of The Little Mermaid, Randy is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill for Half Time. In New York City he was the president of Audible Difference, Inc., a sound design company that over the past 30 years has served the fashion industry in New York and Paris.

Jason Lee Courson (Projection Design) was the projection designer for the Broadway in Chicago production of Gotta Dance. Off Broadway: Amerike: The Golden Land and the recurring Newsical: The Musical. Recent projection designer for Peach State Summer Theatre. Jason’s production design credits include the films What Happens Next, The Big Gay Musical, and Grind, and industrial/fashion events including Red Dress Collection and Broadway Bares; he was assistant designer for opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2015 European Games. Jason pursued undergraduate studies at VSU (GA) and holds an MFA in Scenic Design from the Design/Technology Program at Purchase College (NY).

Josh Marquette (Hair and Wig Design) NY/London: Pretty Woman, Mean Girls, Present Laughter, Dreamgirls, Paramour, Tuck Everlasting, School of Rock, Something Rotten, Aladdin, Kinky Boots, The Book of Mormon, Trip of Love, First Date, Elf, Dogfight, The Best Man, Look Back in Anger, The Drowsy Chaperone, Pig Farm, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Altar Boyz, Show Boat (Carnegie Hall), Mamma Mia!; Encores!: Most Happy Fella and Follies. West Coast: Robin and the 7 Hoods, Peep Show, Minsky’s, Vanities. Television: The Slap, 30 Rock, SNL.

Larry Hochman (Orchestrations) Larry’s career spans 40 years as arranger/composer for theater, film, recordings, and television. Broadway: 16 shows including Hello, Dolly! (Outer Critics Circle Award); The Book of Mormon (Tony, Drama Desk); She Loves Me (Drama Desk); Something Rotten!; The Addams Family; Pippin; Spamalot; seven Tony nominations and seven Drama Desk nominations. Television: Nickelodeon’s Wonder Pets! (five Daytime Emmys as composer). 25 regional and Off Broadway shows. 18 films including various Disney and Marvin Hamlisch’s score to The Informant!. Recordings/Concerts: Paul McCartney, Eric Idle, Barbra Streisand, Hugh Jackman, Audra McDonald, Barry Manilow, New York Philharmonic. Original musical: Perfect Life (produced by Austin Theatre Project).

Kenny Seymour (Dance Arrangements). Broadway: Tony Award–winning musical Memphis (music director/conductor), Amazing Grace (orchestrator). Regional: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (music director, arranger), Marley (music supervisor, arranger, orchestrator), Tallest Tree in the Forest (music director, arranger, incidental music), Scary Musical (orchestrator), Big Maybelle: Soul of the Blues (music supervisor, orchestrator), The Wiz (La Jolla Playhouse, dance music arranger). Film/TV: Talking with the Taxman About Poetry (composer—Global Music Award for Best Original Score). Arranger and orchestrator for shows on Fox, BET, and NBC, as well as the inaugural ball for President Barack Obama. Education: Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music.

Jason Brouillard (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: Big Fish, Spider-Man, The Best Man, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby It’s You!, West Side Story, Jersey Boys, Lovemusik, Hairspray, A Year with Frog and Toad, Dance of the Vampires, The Civil War. Tours: An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, John Lithgow: Stories by Heart, Ragtime, Chess, Company. Off Broadway: Trip of Love, Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Cocoanuts, If I Forget. Tennessee Performing Arts Center: Part of the Plan, featuring the music of Dan Fogelberg. Kennedy Center: Little Dancer. A.R.T.: The Last Two People on Earth. Most recently at the Alley Theatre with Satchmo at the Waldorf.

TELSEY + COMPANY (Casting). Broadway/Tours: My Fair Lady; Carousel; Children of a Lesser God; Mean Girls; Lobby Hero; Frozen; Escape to Margaritaville; SpongeBob SquarePants; Once on This Island; Anastasia; Hello, Dolly!; Come from Away; Waitress; Hamilton; Kinky Boots; Wicked; The Color Purple; On Your Feet!; Something Rotten!; The King and I; An American in Paris. Off Broadway: Sweeney Todd, Atlantic, Classic Stage, MCC, New Group, Park Avenue Armory, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Second Stage. Film: The Greatest Showman, Miss Sloane, Into the Woods, Margin Call, Rachel Getting Married. TV: Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, This Is Us, House of Cards, Divorce, Rise, One Day at a Time, commercials.

Accessibility Performances for Half Time:

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Half Time on Sun, June 24, at 1:30PM and Sat, June 30, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes. There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sun, July 1, at 7:00PM.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for Half Time

Conversation Club: Join us Thur evenings, May 31, June 7, 14, or 21, one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.
The Director’s Viewpoint: One hour before curtain at 6:00PM on Wed, June 6, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.
Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Sat, June 30, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.
Half Time
Book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Nell Benjamin
Additional music by Marvin Hamlisch and Ester Dean
Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
in association with Dori Berinstein and Bill Damaschke

The post Cast Announced for Half Time, The New Musical appeared first on Paper Mill Playhouse.

Performances Begin March 29, 2018
Limited Engagement Through April 29, 2018
At Paper Mill Playhouse

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Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the cast and creative team of the world premiere production of the new musical The Sting, based on the 1973 film, and with book by Bob Martin, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis with Harry Connick, Jr. In addition, the score will contain music by Scott Joplin including “The Entertainer.” John Rando is set to direct with choreography by Warren Carlyle and music direction by Fred Lassen. The Broadway-bound engagement of The Sting begins performances on Thursday, March 29, 2018, for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 29, 2018, in Millburn, NJ. Opening Night is Sunday, April 8, 2018, at 7:00PM JPMorgan Chase & Co. is the Major Sponsor of The Sting.

Chicago. 1936. Get ready to enter a smoke-filled world of cons and capers, where nothing is what it seems and no one is who they appear to be. Based on the 1973 Academy Award-winning film, The Sting tells the tale of a pair of con men, small town grifter Johnny Hooker and big-time hustler Henry Gondorff (Harry Connick, Jr.), who plot to bring down the city’s most corrupt racketeer. The Sting takes you back to an era where jazz reigns, the stakes are high, and the dice are always loaded.

The principal cast will star Harry Connick, Jr. as Henry Gondorff, with Peter Benson as The Erie Kid, Janet Dacal as Loretta, Christopher Gurr as J.J. Singleton, J. Harrison Ghee as Johnny Hooker, Tom Hewitt as Doyle Lonnegan, Richard Kline as Kid Twist, Kevyn Morrow as Luther, Kate Shindle as Billie, and Robert Wuhl as Snyder.

Rounding out the cast are Lucien Barbarin, Darius Barnes, Keely Beirne, Michael Fatica, Luke Hawkins, Tyler Huckstep, Matt Loehr, Erica Mansfield, Drew McVety, Ramone Owens, Tyler Roberts, Angie Schworer, Christine Shepard, Britton Smith, Sherisse Springer, Diana Vaden, Kevin Worley, and Lara Seibert Young.

The Sting will be performed eight times a week, Wednesday–Sunday. The performance schedule is Wednesday at 7:30PM, Thursday at 1:30PM & 7:30PM, Friday at 8:00PM, Saturday at 1:30PM & 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:30PM & 7:00PM.

Tickets are on sale now starting at $34. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online by clicking here. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of 10 or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Students may order $23 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse box office on the day of the performance. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2017–2018 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

The production team includes set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Randy Hansen, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe, make up design by Cookie Jordan, vocal arrangements by Fred Lassen, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, and fight coordinator Robert Westley. The production stage manager is Bonnie L. Becker. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting, Tara Rubin, CSA.

“At J.P. Morgan we see the arts as valuable expressions of creative ideas, that have a real and lasting benefit to society,”

said Deborah Kennedy, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

“We wish the cast, crew and all involved in the production of The Sting a fantastic first night and a wonderful run. We are eager to see the culmination of their hard work and inventive energy.”

Harry Connick, Jr. (Henry Gondorff/Music and Lyrics) a multiple Grammy and Emmy winner, began performing in his native New Orleans at age five. He has released 30 albums, highlighting his talents as pianist, singer, songwriter, composer, and orchestrator, garnering over 28 million sales. Connick received Tony nominations for his performance as Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game and for his score to Thou Shalt Not (directed by Susan Stroman). He last performed on Broadway in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, following the 2010 run of Harry Connick, Jr. in Concert on Broadway, which marked the 20th anniversary of his first sold-out concert series on Broadway. He has appeared in 19 films including Dolphin Tale with Morgan Freeman, Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock, P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Bug with Ashley Judd, and Copycat with Sigourney Weaver, and on television (American Idol, Will & Grace, South Pacific). In the fall of 2016, he launched “Harry”, a nationally syndicated daytime television show featuring his touring band, which earned five Daytime Emmy nominations in its first season, including best host, and a Critics’ Choice nomination for best talk show. Connick received the Jefferson Award for Public Service in recognition of his efforts to help New Orleans rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Peter Benson (The Erie Kid). On Broadway, Mr. Benson has appeared in The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Harvey; Promises, Promises; To Be or Not to Be; Boeing-Boeing; The Pajama Game (with Harry Connick, Jr.—Outer Critics Circle nomination); Wonderful Town; Cabaret; Little Me; An American Daughter; and State Fair. He has appeared Off Broadway in Distracted (Roundabout), Birth and After Birth (Atlantic), The New Moon (City Center Encores!), The Country Club (Drama Dept.), Maddening Truth (Keen), Urban Dictionary Plays (twice at Ars Nova), and many others. Recent television guest stars include “Louie,” “Horace and Pete,” “Banshee” (season 4), “Elementary,” “The Americans,” “Blue Bloods,” and “Blacklist.”

Janet Dacal (Loretta) makes her Paper Mill Playhouse debut in The Sting. She most recently starred in Hal Prince’s Prince of Broadway, playing multiple roles including Evita, Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Sydney in It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…. She created the role of Alice in Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland. She played the lead, Nina Rosario, in In the Heights after originating the role of Carla in the Off Broadway and Broadway productions, for which she received a Drama Desk Award. Additional favorite roles include Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, Kathy in The Last Five Years, and Maria Merelli in Lend Me a Tenor.

J. Harrison Ghee (Johnny Hooker) is honored to be creating the role of Johnny Hooker in The Sting and to make his Paper Mill Playhouse debut. Broadway/International Tour: Kinky Boots (Lola/swing). Regional: The Color Purple (ensemble). Television: “High Maintenance” (“Globo,” Charles). Industrial: Tokyo DisneySea’s Big Band Beat, Norwegian Cruise Line. Proud graduate of AMDA (NY).

Christopher Gurr (J.J. Singleton) recently starred as Gus in the Trevor Nunn/Andy Blankenbuehler Broadway revival of Cats. Other Broadway credits: Tuck Everlasting, Kinky Boots, Amazing Grace, and All the Way with Bryan Cranston. First National Tours: Memphis, Spamalot. Regional: Copenhagen, 1776, Twelve Angry Men, My Fair Lady (Geva); The Who’s Tommy, Oklahoma! (Berkshire Theatre Festival); Getting the Band Back Together (George Street); The Lion in Winter (Indiana Rep); The Drowsy Chaperone (Human Race). TV: :Madame Secretary.” Thanks to

Tom Hewitt (Doyle Lonnegan). Paper Mill: Jane Eyre, Man of La Mancha. Broadway includes: Amazing Grace, Doctor Zhivago, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Dracula, The Boys from Syracuse, The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), The Lion King, School for Scandal, The Sisters Rosensweig. National Tours: Finding Neverland, Urinetown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Peter Pan. Off Broadway: Another Medea, Treasure Island, Jeffery, Beau Jest (Outer Critics nomination). Recent regional credits: My Paris (Long Wharf), Irma Vep (BTG), Spamalot (PCLO, TUTS, Starlight), Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla Playhouse), Travesties (Long Wharf—Connecticut Critics Circle Award). Film/TV: “Elementary,” “Law & Order,” “Julie Taymor’s Fool’s Fire.”

Richard Kline (Kid Twist). Broadway: City of Angels, November. Regional: By Jeeves, Mizlansky/Zilinsky, And a Nightingale Sang, Spamalot, Sunshine Boys, Company, Titanic, Troilus and Cressida, Henry V, Chemin de Fer, Death of a Salesman, and others, at such theaters as the Kennedy Center, Geffen Playhouse, Penguin Rep, Intiman Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Westport Country Playhouse, Mint Theater, Goodspeed Opera, Folger Shakespeare Theatre. Tours: Wicked (The Wizard), Jake’s Women. Solo show: Boychik. Film: Don’t Think Twice, Liberty Heights, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. TV: “The Americans,” “Blue Bloods,” “Three’s Company” (Larry Dallas), and over 75 more including “L.A. Law,” “NYPD Blue,” “St. Elsewhere,” and “Maude.”

Kevyn Morrow (Luther). Broadway: The Color Purple (revival), Bandstand, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dream, Smokey Joes Cafe, A Chorus Line (1990 closing company), Dreamgirls (revival), Leader of the Pack. West End: Ragtime (Olivier nomination), 125th Street. Off Broadway: While I Yet Live, Boys in the Band, Blue. Regional: First Wives Club (NAACP nomination), Driving Miss Daisy, The Lion in Winter, Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, Pajama Game, The Three Musketeers, Tambourine to Glory (Helen Hayes nomination). Film: Fair Market Value, The Trade, Stayin’ Alive. Television: Recurring: “The Path,” “Elementary,” “Hope & Faith,” “Ed;” Guest: “Person of Interest,” “Good Wife,” “Hostages,” “Law & Order,” “Coach,” “Murphy Brown.”

Kate Shindle (Billie) recently wrapped up the acclaimed first national tour of Fun Home (Alison). Proud Jersey girl excited to make her Paper Mill debut. Broadway: Legally Blonde (Vivienne), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Wonderland (Hatter), Jekyll & Hyde. Other favorites: After the Fall (Maggie); Rapture, Blister, Burn (Catherine); Gypsy (Louise); Into the Woods (Witch); Sympathy Jones; The Last Five Years; First Lady Suite. TV/Film: “Lucky Stiff” (Dominique), “Law & Order: SVU,” “White Collar,” Gossip Girl,” “The Stepford Wives.” Kate is currently president of both Actors’ Equity Association and Theatre Authority.

Robert Wuhl (Lt. Snyder) is a proud member of the Union (New Jersey) High School Hall of Fame. Movies: Batman; Bull Durham; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Bodyguard; Flashdance; Mistress; Hollywood Knights; Cobb; Good Burger; Open Season (also writer/director). He created and starred in the HBO series Arli$$ (CableACE nomination) and Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl (Writers Guild Award nomination). Other TV: “Tales from the Crypt” (CableACE nomination), “American Dad,” “Blue Bloods,” “Police Squad” (writer), “60 Minutes Sports” (contributor.) He received two Emmy Awards for writing the 63rd and 64th Academy Awards.

Bob Martin (Book) has been working as an actor and writer for over three decades. He has received many awards in both Canada and the US, including a Tony for The Drowsy Chaperone. Recent TV projects include “Slings & Arrows,” seasons 1, 2, and 3 (TMN, Sundance); “Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays” (CBC); “Michael: Every Day” (CBC); “Sensitive Skin, seasons 1 and 2” (HBO); and “Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas” (NBC). Recent theater projects include Encores! (NYC), The Prom (Atlanta), Gotta Dance (Chicago), Elf (Broadway, Dublin, London), The Drowsy Chaperone (Toronto, Broadway, London), Second City Toronto (performer, director, artistic director). In development: Millions, Half Time, The Princess Bride.

Mark Hollmann (Music & Lyrics) won the Tony Award, the National Broadway Theatre Award, and the Obie Award for his music and lyrics to Urinetown: The Musical. His other shows as composer/lyricist include Yeast Nation and Bigfoot and Other Lost Souls. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), serves on the council of the Dramatists Guild of America, and has served on the Tony Nominating Committee.

Greg Kotis (Lyrics) is the author of many plays and musicals including Urinetown (book/lyrics, for which he won an Obie Award and two Tony Awards), Lunchtime, Give the People What They Want, Michael von Siebenburg Melts Through the Floorboards, Yeast Nation (book/lyrics), The Truth About Santa, Pig Farm, Eat the Taste, and Jobey and Katherine. Future projects include ZM, a new musical that follows two teenage fast-food workers as they struggle to survive a foodborne zombie apocalypse. Greg is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild and is a cofounder of Theater of the Apes.

John Rando (Director). Select Broadway: On the Town (Tony nomination), Penn & Teller on Broadway, A Christmas Story, The Wedding Singer, Urinetown (Tony, Outer Critics Circle Awards), A Thousand Clowns, The Dinner Party. Off Broadway: Jerry Springer: The Opera, Lives of the Saints, The Heir Apparent (SDCF Callaway Award), All in the Timing (Obie Award), The Toxic Avenger, among others. Recent regional: The Honeymooners (Paper Mill), Pirates of Penzance (Barrington), Big Sky (Geffen Playhouse). City Center Encores!: The New Yorkers, Annie Get Your Gun, Little Me, It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, On the Town, Damn Yankees, Strike Up the Band, The Pajama Game, Of Thee I Sing, and more. He also directed Carousel for the New York Philharmonic.

Warren Carlyle (Choreographer). Broadway: Directed and choreographed: After Midnight (Tony Award for Best Choreography), Chaplin, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, Finian’s Rainbow (Tony nomination), A Tale of Two Cities. Choreography: Hello, Dolly!; She Loves Me; On the Twentieth Century; The Mystery of Edwin Drood; A Christmas Story, Follies. Directed and choreographed Radio City’s New York Spring Spectacular starring the Rockettes. TV/Film: Staged and choreographed the 68th and 69th Annual Tony Awards (CBS), multiple seasons of So You Think You Can Dance (Fox), Deception starring Hugh Jackman (20th Century Fox), Carousel (PBS) (Emmy nomination). Awards: Two Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama Desk Award, Astaire Award.

Doug Besterman (Orchestrations). Three-time Tony Award winner. Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Anastasia, A Bronx Tale, It Shoulda Been You, Bullets Over Broadway (Tony nomination), Rocky, On a Clear Day…, Sister Act, How to Succeed… (Tony nomination), Elf, Young Frankenstein (Drama Desk nomination), Tarzan, Dracula, Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002 Tony and Drama Desk Awards), The Producers (2001 Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Seussical, The Music Man (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), Fosse (1999 Tony), Big (Drama Desk nomination), Damn Yankees (Drama Desk nomination). International: Guys and Dolls. Off Broadway: Carrie, Weird Romance. Regional: Little Dancer, Calvin Berger. Film/Television: Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan Live!, The Sound of Music Live!, Frozen, Mulan, Chicago.

Fred Lassen (Music Director/Vocal Arrangements). Broadway: Prince of Broadway, Bandstand, Finding Neverland, Once, Porgy and Bess, South Pacific, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Spamalot, Cabaret, 42nd Street. Paper Mill: Animal Crackers, South Pacific, Peter Pan. Off Broadway/Regional: Threepenny Opera (Atlantic), Zorro (Alliance Theatre). Associate music supervisor for NBC’s live telecasts of The Sound of Music and Peter Pan. Helen Hayes Award nomination for outstanding musical direction of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Sycamore Trees (Signature, DC). International: 4 Stars (Tokyo/Osaka), Maury Yeston’s Peony Pavilion (Beijing), Cabaret (Folies Bergère, Paris). Arranged/produced Laura Osnes’s albums Dream a Little Dream: Live at the Café Carlyle and If I Tell You.

David Chase (Dance Arrangements) has been music directing, supervising, and arranging music on Broadway for over two decades. Currently running: dance music for Carousel, Frozen, Anastasia, and Hello, Dolly!. Also: many arrangements and orchestrations for the Boston Pops, Radio City, the Kennedy Center Honors, and TV’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. His choral arrangements are published by G. Schirmer. Two Emmy nominations for music direction and a Grammy nomination for producing.

Beowulf Boritt (Scenic Design). Paper Mill: The Honeymooners, A Bronx Tale. Broadway: Act One (Tony Award), The Scottsboro Boys (Tony nomination), Thérèse Raquin (Tony nomination), On the Town, Chaplin, Come from Away, Meteor Shower, Prince of Broadway, Sunday in the Park with George (2017), A Bronx Tale, Hand to God, Sondheim on Sondheim, …Spelling Bee, Lovemusik, Rock of Ages, Bronx Bombers, Grace, The Two and Only. Off Broadway: 100 shows including The Last Five Years, The Toxic Avenger, and Miss Julie. Work ranges from NYC Ballet to the Ringling Bros. Circus and internationally in England, Russia, China, Australia, and Japan. He received the 2007 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Set Design.

Paul Tazewell (Costume Design) designed the original Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning Hamilton. Other Broadway: In the Heights; The Color Purple; Dr. Zhivago; Memphis; Caroline, or Change; Elaine Stritch at Liberty; Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk; Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam; Lombardi; Magic/Bird. Broadway revivals: Side Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys and Dolls, A Raisin in the Sun, On the Town. In 2016, Paul received a Tony Award for Hamilton and an Emmy Award for The Wiz Live! on NBC. He also designed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey for HBO Films and Jesus Christ Superstar Live! for NBC.

Japhy Weideman (Lighting Design). Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, The Visit, The Nance, Of Mice and Men, Airline Highway, all Tony-nominated for best lighting design. Other Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lobby Hero, Bright Star, Sylvia, Old Times, The Heidi Chronicles, Macbeth (Drama Desk nomination), Cyrano de Bergerac, The Snow Geese. Off Broadway: Lincoln Center Theater, Public Theater, NYTW, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, MTC, MCC, Labyrinth, Vineyard. West End: A Nice Fish, Blackbird. Opera: Bluebeard’s Castle/Il prigioniero (La Scala, Dutch National Opera); The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Don Giovanni, Life Is a Dream (Santa Fe Opera); The Manchurian Candidate, Doubt (Minnesota Opera); Don Giovanni (Lyon Opera).

Randy Hansen (Sound Design). Randy has designed sound for more than 150 musicals and 50 plays. Many memorable moments include working with the opera star Jessye Norman, the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Having recently opened a national tour of The Little Mermaid, Randy is thrilled to be back at Paper Mill for The Sting. In New York City he was the president of Audible Difference, Inc., a sound design company that over the past 30 years has served the fashion industry in New York and Paris.

Charles G. Lapointe (Hair & Wig Design). Prior Paper Mill Playhouse productions include Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Outsider, and 1776. Over 90 Broadway shows including Hamilton, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Anastasia, The Band’s Visit, SpongeBob SquarePants, Amélie, Motown, Memphis, Allegiance, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, The Color Purple, Doctor Zhivago, Of Mice and Men, Violet, Side Show, The Elephant Man, After Midnight, Clybourne Park, Newsies, Jekyll & Hyde, The Mountaintop, Superior Donuts, Bonnie and Clyde, and In the Heights. Television: The Wiz Live! (Emmy Award nomination), Blue Bloods, American Crime, Madoff, Hairspray.

Cookie Jordan (Makeup Design). Paper Mill: Lend Me a Tenor. Broadway: Once on This Island, Sunday in the Park…, In Transit, Eclipsed, Side Show, After Midnight, Fela!, A View from the Bridge, South Pacific, others. Off Broadway: Jesus Hopped the A Train, In the Blood, The Death of the Last Black Man… (Signature); Is God Is (Soho Rep); Kid Victory (Vineyard); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Troilus and Cressida, Party People, The Total Bent (Public); He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box, Measure for Measure (TFANA). National Tours: Fela! (also Europe), Dirty Dancing, Flashdance. Regional: Hartford Stage, A.R.T., La Jolla, Goodspeed, Dallas Theater Center, McCarter, Berkeley Rep, Goodman. Emmy nomination for NBC’s The Wiz Live!.

Robert Westley (Fight Coordinator) choreographs movement for award-winning theater productions, acclaimed operas, and film, developing unique and exciting performances of dance, clowning, aerial acrobatics, puppetry, and martial art. Broadway: A Bronx Tale: The Musical (dir. Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks), Hand to God. Off Broadway: Important Hats of the Twentieth Century (MTC), Verité (LCT3), Teenage Dick (Public). Paper Mill: The Honeymooners, A Bronx Tale.

Bonnie L. Becker (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: School of Rock, On the Town, The Velocity of Autumn, Let It Be, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Billy Elliot, Legally Blonde, Lestat, The Glass Menagerie, Bombay Dreams, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Real Thing, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Victor/Victoria, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, and Jelly’s Last Jam. At Paper Mill Playhouse: West Side Story; Rumors; Red, Hot and Blue.

Tara Rubin Casting (Casting). Previous Paper Mill: Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Can-Can, Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour. Selected Broadway: King Kong (upcoming), Summer (upcoming), Prince of Broadway, Indecent, Bandstand, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, A Bronx Tale, Cats, Falsettos, Disaster!, School of Rock, Les Misérables, The Heiress, The Phantom of the Opera, Billy Elliot, Shrek, Spamalot, …Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys. Off Broadway: Jersey Boys; Here Lies Love; Old Jews Telling Jokes; Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Regional: Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, Asolo Rep.

Accessibility Performances for The Sting

Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for The Sting on Sunday, April 22, at 1:30PM and Saturday, April 28, at 1:30PM. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes. There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sunday, April 29, at 7:00PM.

Free Audience Enrichment Activities for The Sting

Conversation Club: Join us Thursday evenings, March 29, April 5, 12 or 19, one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You’ll learn more about the performance you’re about to see.

The Director’s Viewpoint: One hour before curtain at 6:00PM on Wednesday, April 4, we host a pre-show discussion in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.

Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Saturday, April 28, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director) and recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is one of the country’s leading regional theaters. 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.

The Sting–A New Musical
Based on the Universal Pictures Film
Original Screenplay By David S. Ward
Book By Bob Martin
Music And Lyrics By Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis With Harry Connick, Jr.
Choreographed By Warren Carlyle
Directed By John Rando

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