Tickets on Sale for Paper Mill Playhouse’s 80th Anniversary Season, Monday, Aug 20 at 10 AM
Theater Renovation will be Complete for September Season Opening
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE’S 2018–2019 SEASON
The Color Purple Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn My Very Own British Invasion (World Premiere) Benny & Joon (East Coast Premiere) Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW!
Paper Mill Playhouse announced today that individual tickets for the theater’s 2018–2019 season will go on sale to the public on Monday, August 20 at 10 AM. This will be the first season in Paper Mill Playhouse’s newly renovated auditorium featuring new seats and a fresh design. Single tickets start at just $35. Tickets may be purchased beginning on August 20 by calling 973.376.4343, or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online by clicking here. Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2018–2019 season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.
Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2018–2019 season with the hit musical, The Color Purple (Sep 26–Oct 21), the unforgettable and moving Tony Award-winning musical based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel and Academy Award–nominated film features a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime, and blues. The Color Purple, with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, is a stirring family chronicle about the power of love and life. Next, a family musical just in time for the season, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (Nov 21–Dec 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 (Jan 31–Mar 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 (Apr 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), 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, Wed – Sun. Three, four and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits (click here for details). Single tickets will go on sale on August 20 at 10 AM 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 by clicking here. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more may receive a discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Titles, casting, and dates subject to change.
Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2018–2019 Season
THE COLOR PURPLE
(An American Classic)
SEPTEMBER 26–OCTOBER 21, 2018
Book by Marsha Norman
Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray
Based upon the novel written by Alice Walker and the Warner Bros./Amblin Entertainment motion picture
Directed by John Doyle
Major Support: PSEG Foundation
The Tony Award-winning revival that thrilled Broadway audiences is coming to Paper Mill, where director John Doyle will remount his visionary production. This unforgettable and moving musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-nominated film features a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime, and blues. The Color Purple, with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, is a stirring family chronicle about the power of love and life. Contains adult themes.
IRVING BERLIN’S HOLIDAY INN
(A Holiday Classic)
NOVEMBER 21–DECEMBER 30, 2018
Based on the film from Universal Pictures
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge
Choreographed by Denis Jones
Directed by Gordon Greenberg
Major Sponsor: Bank of America
This heartwarming, toe-tapping production arrives just in time for the holidays. Based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including “Easter Parade,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” and “White Christmas.” This season, if you’re looking for something that’s as cozy as chestnuts roasting on an open fire—with a spark of Broadway razzle-dazzle—bring the family to Paper Mill to bask in the glow of an uplifting song-and-dance show.
MY VERY OWN BRITISH INVASION
(World Premiere)
JANUARY 31–MARCH 3, 2019
Book by Rick Elice
Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Major Support: The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation
This fable of young love is based on the experiences of Peter Noone, who was just 15 when he rose to international stardom as the lead singer of Herman’s Hermits—and England became the center of the rock and roll universe. Set against the backdrop of the exploding 1960s British music scene, this world-premiere musical features chart-topping hits from Herman’s Hermits and other legendary bands of the era. Tony Award–winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Half Time), choreographs and directs.
BENNY & JOON
(A New Musical)
APRIL 4–MAY 5, 2019
Book by Kirsten Guenther
Music by Nolan Gasser
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture written by Barry Berman and Leslie McNeil
Choreographed by Scott Rink
Directed by Jack Cummings III
Based on the 1993 film starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love. 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. This heartfelt screen-to-stage adaptation was hailed by the Times of San Diego as “totally delightful… 100% enjoyable, poignant and affecting.
DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
(The Broadway Musical)
MAY 29–JUNE 30, 2019
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Book by Linda Woolverton
Choreographed by Denis Jones
Directed by Mark S. Hoebee
Major Sponsor: Merck
Singing teapots and candlesticks, an evil spell, and an unlikely love story are all part of the magic of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, 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. The whole family will be enchanted by this gorgeous production, featuring stunning costumes and sets, spectacular dance numbers, and, of course, a fairy-tale ending.
This summer Paper Mill Playhouse is undergoing an extensive renovation including replacement of the auditorium seating. The renovations will be complete before the 2018–2019 season opens in September.
Paper Mill Playhouse hopes you will consider dedicating a seat as 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.
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2016, 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.
