PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “UNMASKED”

April 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment

THE MUSIC AND STORIES OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER ON STAGE AT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 28, 2018.

Millburn, NJ (February 16, 2018) — Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, announced today the world premiere of UNMASKED, which will feature some of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most iconic work and the stories behind its creation, along with new music and memories from his extraordinary life and career, will open its 2018-2019 season.

UNMASKED will be a funny and warm musical portrait drawing from Andrew’s extensive body of work, with intimate and sometimes unexpected interpretations of his best-loved songs, rediscovered gems and some new material specially written for this production.

In the year Andrew Lloyd Webber releases his memoir*, also titled Unmasked, and the personally curated Platinum Collection album**, this new stage production will be an exploration of a man and his music, his creative process and the often surprising manner in which his songs, and the musicals in which they feature, came to be.  It will include some of Lloyd Webber’s most recognizable characters interacting with one another for the first time, and new takes on his music, including a cappella versions of his songs and an often wry look at the genre he has, for many, come to define.

UNMASKED is co-created with Richard Curtis, the award-winning screenwriter, producer and film director behind Four Weddings and a Funeral,Notting Hill and Love Actually, and John Doyle, who won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his Broadway version of Sweeney Todd. His revival of The Color Purple won two Tony Awards in 2016 and he is the Artistic Director of the Classic Stage Company in New York.

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Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir Launches 2018 Tour throughout New Jersey

April 24, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Award-winning Ensemble to Present Fully-staged Concerts at Eight Venues

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is pleased to announce dates and locations for the 2018 Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir tour. This season the show choir will play New Jersey venues in Millburn, Somerset, New Providence, Rahway, Metuchen, Wanaque, Kenilworth and South Orange. This fully-staged concert event called “Seize the Day” is a song and dance extravaganza featuring production numbers from popular Broadway shows includingNewsies, Frozen, Hairspray, The Wiz, Rent, Spring Awakening, Jersey Boys, Annie, Sister Act, and more. The program will also feature pop favorites from James Taylor, Lady Gaga, Otis Redding, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake and Pentatonix.

The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir, presented by Overlook Medical Center, has toured the area at impressive venues including Lincoln Center, The Empire State Building, Sun Arena, MetLife Stadium, NJPAC, State Theatre, Bergen PAC, SOPAC and many more. The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir is an audition based, exhibition 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. See below for a complete list of show choir performers by town.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.PaperMill.org/showchoir.

“We are thrilled to showcase our largest ensemble to date and welcome the community to join us for some inspiring performances,” commented Shayne Austin Miller, Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir Director. “The Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir is a highly-competitive, audition-based, free program that showcases the best talent in New Jersey. Our fully-staged concert event, Seize the Day is perfect for audiences of all ages.”

2018 Paper Mill Playhouse Broadway Show Choir Tour Schedule

SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 7PM
Saint Stephen’s Church, Millburn, NJ
For Tickets: 973.625.5726

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 4PM
Villager’s Theatre, Somerset, NJ
For Tickets:BoxOffice@VillagersTheatre.org

SATURDAY, MAY 12, 4PM
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, New Providence, NJ
For Tickets: Information@StAndrewsChurch.org

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 4PM
Hamilton Stage, Rahway, NJ
For Tickets: UCPac.org/Events or 732.499.8226

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 4PM
Forum Theatre, Metuchen, NJ
For Tickets: Tickets@ForumArts.net

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 7PM
Lakeland Regional High School, Wanaque, NJ
For Tickets: 973.831.2240

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1:30PM
Saint Theresa’s Catholic Church, Kenilworth, NJ
For Tickets: StParish@TheChurchofStTheresa.org

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 8PM
South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, NJ
For Tickets: SOPacNow.org or 973.313.2787

Now Playing: THE STING – A New Musical starring Harry Connick, Jr.

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One Thousand Nights and One Day,” a new musical at ART/NY Mezzanine Theatre

April 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment
One Thousand Nights and One Day will play the ART/NY Mezzanine Theatre (502 West 53rd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues) and is produced by Prospect Theater Company (Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director.)
 
In mythic Persia, a daring young woman spins tales to save the kingdom and her life. In modern-day New York, a Jewish man and Palestinian woman fight to find love in a fractured world.  This world premiere musical, adapted from Jason Grote’s critically-acclaimed play 1001, reinvents “The Arabian Nights,” colliding the contemporary and the ancient.  Through a genre-bending score, it questions past and present images of the Middle East, exploring the power of story in our everyday lives.
 
One Thousand Nights and One Day features Sepideh Moafi (“The Deuce”, “Falling Water”), Ben Steinfeld (Fiasco Theatre Company’s Into the Woods), Ashkon Davaran (The Great Comet – Ars Nova), Yassi Noubahar (The Body Politic), Chad Goodridge (Passing Strange), Gabriella Pérez (Anything GoesNational Tour), and Graham Stevens (Peter and the Starcatcher).
 
One Thousand Nights and One Day features choreography by Karla Garcia(Regional: In The Heights; currently performing in Hamilton), scenic design by Jason Ardizzone-West (The Royale, Illyria), costume design by Becky Bodurtha (The Strangest; The Wife), lighting design by Carolyn Wong (This Was Written In Water; The Oracle) and sound design by Jeremy J. Lee (Tamar of the River; Broadway Associate: Superior Doughnuts; Mary Stuart). Kurt Crowley (currently the musical director/conductor of Hamilton on Broadway) serves as musical director and co-orchestrator with Marisa Michelson.

Photo: One Thousand Nights and One Day PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

In Prospect Theater Company’s new play One Thousand Nights and One Day, a musical adapted by composer Marisa Michelson and librettist Jason Grote from the 2007 play 1001. Based loosely on a retelling of the Arabian Nights story of King Shahryar (Ben Steinfeld) and his wife, Scheherazade (Sepideh Moafi), who tells stories in order to delay her own execution and to save other women in her kingdom, the play then tells a more modern tale of Alan and Dahna (same actors). These students, a Jewish man and a Palestinian woman, go through the trials of a relationship in current New York City.

The new musical has been developed with the support of New Dramatists, Montclair State University’s New Works Initiative, Theatreworks Palo Alto, the York Theatre Company, and the Weston Playhouse.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting ProspectTheater.org or calling (212) 352-3101.

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THE WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF THE STING at Papermill Playhouse

April 2, 2018 by Leave a Comment

papermill playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, has announced today 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 TONIGHT, March 29, 2018, for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 29, 2018, at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive) in Millburn, NJ. Opening Night is Sunday, April 8, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. 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 through Sunday. The performance schedule is Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

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 at www.PaperMill.org. 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.

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See Harry Connick, Jr. in “The Sting” at Papermill Playhouse

March 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Are you a fan of theater? How about Harry Connick, Jr? You will want to head to The Papermill Playhouse ASAP to see him in this new, World Premier musical, “The Sting”.

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 11 Daytime Emmy nominations in its two seasons, including two nominations for 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.

Hurry, as this show (and Harry!) only plays through April 29, 2018. Head to the website and see what shows are upcoming, as well. https://papermill.org

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See the East Coast premiere of the new play The Outsider at Papermill Playhouse

December 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Paper Mill Playhouse is excited to announce the East Coast premiere of the new play “The Outsider” by Paul Slade Smith at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive) in Millburn, NJ.

In politics, the less you know, the higher you’ll go! At once a razor-sharp satire and an inspirational tribute to democracy, The Outsider is a timely and hilarious send-up of modern American politics. In the midst of a political scandal, Ned Newley, the ultimate policy wonk, is unexpectedly thrust into the position of Governor. A complete unknown, with no political instincts and a paralyzing fear of public speaking, Ned seems destined to fail. But his political consultants see things a little differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office. Unless the public is looking for… the worst candidate to ever run for office!

Directed by David Esbjornson (Driving Miss Daisy), the seven-member features Kelley Curran (Present Laughter) as Rachel Parsons, Julia Duffy (“Newhart”/”Designing Women”) as Paige Caldwell, Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) as Dave Riley, Erin Noel Grennan (“Law & Order: SVU”) as Louise Peakes, Mike Houston (“Orange is the New Black”) as A.C. Petersen, Burke Moses (Beauty and the Beast) as Arthur Vance, and Lenny Wolpe (PMP’s The Baker’s Wife) as Ned Newley.

Performances begin Wednesday, January 24, 2018, at 7:30 p.m., for a limited run through Sunday, February 18, 2018 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive) in Millburn, NJ.  Opening Night is Sunday evening, January 28, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Get your tickets at https://papermill.org .

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National Chorale presents 50th presentation of Handel’s Messiah Sing-In

December 9, 2017 by Leave a Comment

National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, under the Artistic Direction of Everett McCorvey, continues its 2017-2018 Season at Lincoln Center with the 50th presentation of Handel’s Messiah Sing-In onFriday, December 15, 2017 at 7:30pm at the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC. Tickets are $30-100 and are available at www.nationalchorale.com, or by calling (212) 333-5333.

Join an audience-chorus of almost 3,000 voices under the batons of 17 eminent conductors. Celebrate choral singing and sing in New York’s most joyous and popular Holiday Season music event! The performance featuresJoanna Mongiardo, Michael Nansel, Holly Sorensen, and John Wesley Wright.

The 17 conductors from around the country, who will each conduct a movement, are Constance Chase, Hugh Ferguson Floyd, Gregory Hopkins, James John, Thomas Juneau, Deborah Simpkin King, Chris Ludwa, Everett Mccorvey, Vagarshak Ohanyan, Stephen Pagano, John Palatucci, Jennifer Pascual, Vincent Rufino, Kathryn Schneider, Michael Spierman, Jason Tramm and Mark Van Schenkhof.

 “The National Chorale is one of the most firmly established professional choral groups in the country.”– The New Times

NATIONAL CHORALE’S 2017-2018 SEASON CONTINUES WITH:

March 16, 2018

Angela Rice – Thy Will Be Done, An Easter Oratorio

New York Premiere featuring tenor Gregory Turay

April 13, 2018

Beethoven’s Symphony #9 and Ralph Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CHORALE

The National Chorale, New York’s premier professional choral company, is celebrating its 50thLincoln Center Season at David Geffen Hall, previously Avery Fisher Hall, with its continuing series of choral orchestral masterworks and 20th century American Classics.

Founded in 1967, the National Chorale is the only professional choral company in the United States to have established and maintained an annual subscription season in the major New York City concert halls – 50 seasons in David Geffen Hall, with additional concerts at Carnegie Hall.  It presents a broad repertory of choral-orchestral works; seldom-performed works from many stylistic periods; opera-in-concert; American music theatre; and contemporary works, including commissions by the Chorale for its Lincoln Center Season.

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Off-Broadway’s PUFFS is going HOLLYWOOD

December 5, 2017 by Leave a Comment

  

On Saturday, February 3rd and Sunday, February 4th, 2018, PUFFS (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a CertainSchool of Magic and Magic) will shoot PUFFS: Live Off-Broadway for worldwide audiences.

The event will define the euphoria of achieving the best of two worlds – on one stage.

Co-Directed by the hit show’s director, Kristin McCarthy Parker and cinematographer Kathryn Jones, the five-camera, two-day shoot will capture the hilarious, inexhaustibly accomplished and acclaimed cast; as they dazzlingly and dizzyingly portray 53 certifiably off-balance and uproariously entertaining characters.

Both the hit Off-Broadway show and the anticipated Live Capture are produced by Tilted Windmill Theatricals’ John Arthur Pinckard & David Carpenter.  The groundbreaking and critically celebrated script is by Matt Cox.

The Live Capture project took shape at the insistence of the burgeoning multitude of fans continually asking when the show would be playing in their city.

When the cameras roll, PUFFS will make history as the first Off-Broadway show to offer its fans the rare opportunity of participating in the films’ creation by joining in a Kickstarter Campaign being made available for a limited amount of time.

There are eleven of them.

These are comedic geniuses who have been acclaimed by the New York Press Corps and sold-out audiences alike at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) where they opened on Saturday, July 8th.

On stage, they start out running, somewhere around 80 mph, kidnap the audience and continue the journey gaining momentum until they blow the roof of the theatre.

When producers, David Carpenter and John Arthur Pinckard, established Tilted Windmills Theatricals, they did so to re-energize and re-vitalize both the creative and financial possibilities of the American Theatre.

PUFFS: Live Off-Broadway will prove their Mission Statement and then some; while delivering PUFFS to the entire country.

They produce at the intersection of the Performing Arts and the Popular Arts; a lucrative and now very busy corner.

On September 29th, 2017, they celebrated the First Anniversary of the universally acclaimed comedy’s journey to National presence.

On November 4th, 2017, they celebrated their 100th performance Off-Broadway at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street – between 8th and 9th Avenues.)

THE LIVE CAPTURE


There are 400,000,000 wizard enthusiasts alive today.

They now have the opportunity to support the creation of their OWN LIVE CAPTURE for WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION.

Currently being heralded as one of the funniest productions on sale in America, PUFFS takes a second look at everyone’s favorite world of wizards through the eyes of the Puffs, a lovable group of magical misfits.

When playwright Matt Cox began writing PUFFS in July of 2015 most everyone in the theatrical community knew he was elevating the American comedy to new heights.

His vision was groundbreaking.  His voice was unique.  His results were hilarious.   Even his choice of composer, Brian Hoes, to write the original score was inspired.

Over 25,000 people have seen PUFFS to date.  The Live Capture will increase that number one thousand fold.

PUFFS: Live Off-Broadway will be shot at New World Stages with a live audience.

The Final Cut will be available to rent or download.

PUFFS
or
Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic


For seven years a certain boy wizard went to Wizard School. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of The Puffs who just happened to be there too. This is a play for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. It is a Potter inspired comedy for anyone who has ever felt like a secondary character in someone else’s story. The play gives you a new look at a familiar adventure from the perspective of three newheroes just trying to make it through magic school.

The Off-Broadway Playing Schedule
at
New World Stages
(340 West 50th Street)

Mondays at 8:00pm
Thursdays at 8:00pm
Fridays at 8:00pm
Saturdays at 2:00pm
Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm

Note:  Both the Saturday and Sunday matinee shows will be
Special Family Friendly Performances – for audiences of all ages.

Tickets:
Telecharge.com
212-239-6200
General $67    Premium $87

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