Something Totally Different For Broadway!

Five Spectacular Shows - Much Anticipation!

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE’S 2019-2020 SEASON

CHASING RAINBOWS: The Road to Oz  

September 26–October 27

Book by Marc Acito

Music Adapted & Additional Music by David Libby

Conceived & Created by Tina Marie Casamento

Directed & Choreographed by Denis Jones

This highly anticipated new musical about one of the world’s most beloved entertainment icons, Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz is the story of how five-year-old Frances Gumm became Judy Garland, chronicling her early career from vaudeville to her rise at MGM, where she wins the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Chasing Rainbows features legendary songs, including “Over the Rainbow,” “You Made Me Love You,” and “Everybody Sing.” The show has already earned praise from Liza Minnelli, who said, “My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame.” 

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA

November 20–December 29

Music by Richard Rodgers 

Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II 

New Book by Douglas Carter Beane 

Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II 

Directed by Mark S. Hoebee 

This enchanting, Tony-nominated Broadway adaptation of the beloved musical will put a spell on audiences of all ages. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella showcases some of the songwriting duo’s loveliest tunes, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” as well as some new characters and surprising twists. Add a dash of fairytale romance, magical onstage transformations, and the iconic pumpkin and glass slippers—and you’re guaranteed to have a ball! 

UNMASKED: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

January 30–March 1 

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Written with Richard Curtis

Directed by Laurence Connor

One of the most successful musical theater composers of all time takes audiences on a behind-the-scenes journey inUnmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Written with Richard Curtis and directed by Laurence Connor, Unmasked is a not-always-reverential look at Andrew’s life and musical career. You’ll hear his best-loved work, including classics from Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Sunset Boulevard, in sometimes new and unexpected ways.This new production will also feature new material and rediscovered gems, along with the history of their creation intertwined with Andrew’s extraordinary personal story.

SISTER ACT

April 1–April 26

Music by Alan Menken 

Lyrics by Glenn Slater 

Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner 

Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane 

Based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act Written by Joseph Howard 

Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical comedy smash sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing, and a story brimming with heart. The madcap plot is set in motion when disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and must go into hiding in a convent—where she clashes, hilariously, with cloistered life. Deloris inspires the sisters with her soulful style, but the church choir’s newfound fame attracts the attention of the bad guys. Featuring original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), the musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

THE WANDERER 

May 28–June 28

Book by Charles Messina

Directed by Kenneth Ferrone

Dion. One name set the standard of cool for a generation. But how does a kid from the Bronx make it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? In The Wanderer, the incredible musical journey of a troubled young man turned teenage heartthrob (and, ultimately, rock and roll icon) is told in intimate and no-holds-barred detail. Dion’s music helped define a generation of rock and rollers. His lifelong battle with addiction shed a stark light on the darker side of fame and success. This musical takes both subjects head on, set to the iconic sound of an incomparable era in American music, and celebrates the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. The Wanderer is the riveting true story of Dion, New York’s rebel king, the man Bruce Springsteen calls “the link between Frank Sinatra and rock and roll.”

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (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.

This Is Gonna Be Big -- REALLY Big!

Producer Scott Rudin has announced that the two-time Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award-winning star Hugh Jackman will make his highly anticipated return to Broadway in what is widely agreed is the greatest role ever created for an actor in the history of the musical theater: Professor Harold Hill, in Meredith Willson’s beloved classic, The Music Man.

The production, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, will begin performances on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, and officially open on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at a Shubert theatre to be announced.

One of the most universally cherished treasures of the American musical theater, The Music Man was an instant smash hit when it premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including the prize for Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The original cast album held the number one position on the Billboard charts and stayed on the album charts for 245 weeks. The recording won the first ever Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album. In 1962, the show was adapted into a hugely successful movie, which has remained a classic for over 60 years. The Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the “great glories” of American popular culture.

In a statement, Hugh Jackman said, “The first musical I was ever a part of was the phenomenal The Music Man. The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me.” He added, “The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years, and when Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill.”

Scott Rudin stated, "There is just no way to accurately describe the level of excitement I feel about the opportunity to present Hugh in what I think is the best role ever written for an actor in all of Broadway musical theater. Although I have spent a lot of time and energy wishing there was a way to stop the passage of time, this is the one moment when I wish it would just move faster. I can't wait for us to begin working on this together in earnest."

From the first time Hugh Jackman set foot on stage in the highly acclaimed National Theatre production of Oklahoma! in 1998, to his Tony-winning, sensation-causing turn as Peter Allen in the 2003 musical The Boy From Oz, his reputation as the world’s greatest living stage star was secured. Though he has returned to Broadway three times since – in two plays and in a solo concert event – this will be Mr. Jackman’s first role in a Broadway musical since his debut more than 16 years ago. He went on to become one of the biggest stars of our time through starring roles in numerous and varied blockbusters, including eight movies in the fantastically successful X-Men series, Les Misérables (for which he received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor), and The Greatest Showman, one of the top-grossing movie musicals of all time.

As if taking on the creation of the book, music, and lyrics of a new musical wasn’t a daunting (and rare) enough feat for one man, Meredith Willson had never so much as attempted to write for the stage before The Music Man. That he managed to conjure such a timeless masterpiece — over the course of a painstaking six-year process immortalized in his memoir, But He Doesn’t Know the Territory — remains one of the greatest and most surprising accomplishments ever achieved in the realm of dramatic literature.

As chief theater critic for the Wall Street Journal Terry Teachout wrote, “Willson produced, on his first try, a musical comedy that is impeccable to the point of virtuosity.” After receiving encouragement from his friend and mentor Frank Loesser, and guidance from the legendary producing team of Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin, Willson crafted a story inspired by his own childhood in the small Iowa town of Mason City. He said, "I didn't have to make up anything. I simply remembered Mason City as closely as I could." He modeled the character of young Winthrop Paroo on himself, the librarian Marian Paroo after his own mother – a music teacher -- and the charismatic con man Harold Hill after “so many people that I remember different ones every time I see the show.” After a half-decade of writing and rewriting, the self-described “Iowa-stubborn” Willson finally teamed up with his friend Franklin Lacey to fine-tune the script, and The Music Man was on its way.

With the uniquely rhythmic, non-rhyming, never-heard-before style of its musical numbers, and an abundance of American charm, The Music Man garnered an enthusiastic champion in the person of legendary producer Kermit Bloomgarden, who took the reins and shepherded it to its place in Broadway history. Of the 40 songs Willson wrote over those six years, 18 made it into the show’s dazzling score, including such beloved classics as “Seventy-Six Trombones;” “(Ya Got) Trouble;” “Marian The Librarian;” “My White Knight;” “Goodnight My Someone;” “Gary, Indiana;” and “Till There Was You.”

The Music Man reunites the creative team of the Tony Award-winning and record-breaking revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler, including (in addition to Rudin, Zaks, and Carlyle), four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (Scenic & Costume Design), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), and David Chase (Dance Arrangements). Patrick Vaccariello and Tony Award winner Jonathan Tunick join the team as The Music Man’s Musical Director and Orchestrator, respectively.

More details, including the casting of ‘Marian,’ will be announced shortly.

A Wondrous Tune From A Failed Show . .

Michael Feinstein sings the hauntingly beautiful To be Alone With You, a Jerry Herman tune from the forgotten 1964 Broadway musical Ben Franklin in Paris which starred Robert Preston in the title role.

Bound To Be 'A Lovely Day' Feb. 6 - 10

Go inside the rehearsal room for Call Me Madam! 

Carmen Cusack, Lauren Worsham, Jason Gotay and more preview numbers from this classic musical comedy by Irving Berlin. 

Feb 6-10 at New York City Center 

Learn More: https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/201... 

Call Me Madam is part of the 2019 Encores! season along with Rodger’s & Hart’s I Married an Angel and High Button Shoes. 

"The Hostess with the Mostess" Carmen Cusack and ensemble 

"They Like Ike" Adam Heller, Stanley Wayne Mathis and Brad Oscar 

"It's a Lovely Day Today" Lauren Worsham & Jason Gotay

How Broadway Stages A Classic Film . . .

Most people alive today weren't around when the hefty, star-studded film Network hit the big screen in 1976.
Nowadays when people hear the works "network" they think of wine and cheese or sharing a beer at WeWork or trying to connect the dots on Linkedin.
But once upon a time there were three major TV networks in America and they pretty much controlled the media landscape. In fact, they kept people so mesmerized that media guru Marshall McLuhan said it didn't even matter what they were showing because, in the end "the medium [TV] is the message." Competition for the top spot among these three powerhouses was fierce and was tracked via overnight Nielsen ratings and audience share. Network introduces an upstart in the media wars -- a struggling new  competitor called the Union Broadcasting System (UBS). In Network, UBS cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit. As the story unfolds, the anchor (Howard Beale brilliantly portrayed by Peter Finch) becomes a sensation by "articulating the rage" of the American people during the Ford Administration -- a time marked by an energy crisis, growing mideast tension, rising gas prices, runaway  inflation, terrorism and domestic unrest.
Every great film has its iconic moment and signature tagline. In  Network, it comes when Beale utters 12 unforgettable words: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Network was nominated for 10 Oscars, won four -- actor and actress Peter Finch, and Faye Dunaway; supporting actress Beatrice Straight and writer Paddy Chayefsky. It also stirred up much debate not just about the decaying values of television but pop culture and society in general.

Today, the film (written by Chayefsky and deftly directed by Sidney Lumet) is viewed as as a prophetic classic and (as described by noted film Critic Pauline Kael) a "messianic farce".

In 2000, Network was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2002, it was inducted into the Producers Guild of America Hall of Fame as a film that has "set an enduring standard for American entertainment". In 2005, the two Writers Guilds of America voted Chayefsky's script one of the 10 greatest screenplays in the history of cinema. And the film has also made the American Film Institute's list as one of the 100 greatest American films.

Network is big, loud, and full of histrionics. The script is dotted with invectives and the actors don't so much recite their lines as spit them out as one another making them drop like so many random explosives.

Now, 42 years later Network has arrived on Broadway. And, in the Age of Trump and Trump Derangement Syndrome it's viewed so au courant that audiences at the Belasco Theater are wildly cheering it night after night and critics are downright giddy over the intense performance of Bryan Cranston in the Howard Beale role as well as the imaginative mounting by Britain's National Theatre and the relentlessly hi-tech, self-conscious direction by Ivo Van Hove. 

No question about it, Cranston's performance is a tour de force and it's backed up by a first-rate cast including, most notably Tony Goldwyn, Joshua Boone, Alyssa Bresnahan and Barzin Akhavan. 

But how do you top Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall and Beatrice Straight?And how do you fit all of this within the confines of a Broadway house? Well, Van Hove borrows from his recent staging of A View From The Bridge and literally opens the stage to its bare walls. But beyond that, he simultaneously live televises nearly the entire performance and brings TV cameras not just into the audience but into the street outside the theater. The whole thing is so immersive that the the theater audience actually becomes the audience for the televised Howard Beale Show.

Network does seem aptly suited to our ranting, raucous, boisterous times. The coarsening of the culture seems complete and nothing is shocking anymore including the end to this dark tale. After all, no show (including one starring Howard Beale) lasts forever in TVland -- a place where scenarios and players are gobbles up at a breakneck pace. 

Yes, Network remains mostly faithful to Chayefsky's original script with some whole speeches remaining intact. But adapter Lee Hall has rearranged portions of the dialogue, moved parts of the script around and eliminated what some might argue are critical parts of the story -- especially in one key instance. 

And in the big "I'm mad as hell" scene Cranston milks every moment with interminable pauses, twitches and a wring-it-dry approach that is just this side of tedious. Maybe it's part of the director's effort to make the whole thing seem both outrageous and tightly controlled at the same time but it seems to defeat its purpose

We won't tell you exactly how Network ends but we will warn you not to expect a carbon copy of the audacious original ending. The people behind this production have chosen to conclude the two-hour drama (there is no intermission) with a bit of heavy-handed sermonizing via an implausible epilogue and then, after the actors have taken their bows, the whole thing is politicized with a totally irrelevant video just to make sure you get the point.

Network remains a classic.

It is what it is and says what it says. The whole idea was that you would draw your own conclusions about all this.

Why couldn't they just leave it alone?

Is This What Howard Beale's Really All About?

Bryan Cranston talks Howard Beale, Network and playing the iconic role in New York in front of Broadway audiences.