MILLBURN, NJ — Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the lineup for the upcoming reopening season and staff looks forward to welcoming audiences back to the theater for live performances.
The Paper Mill Playhouse 2021-22 lineup includes three eagerly anticipated productions that were postponed from previous seasons: “Sister Act,” “Clue” and the world-premiere of the musical “The Wanderer.” Season subscriptions are on sale now and are available by visiting the theater’s website at www.PaperMill.org.
Paper Mill will open its newest season with “Songs for a New World,” the groundbreaking musical that put Tony Award–winning composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown on the map, from Oct. 13 through Nov. 7. From the deck of a Spanish sailing ship bound for a new land to the ledge of a Fifth Avenue penthouse, “Songs for a New World” transports audiences through time to meet a startling array of characters on the brink of life-changing decisions.
Next up, Paper Mill brings audiences a delightful show for the whole family: “A Jolly Holiday with Disney on Broadway,” from Dec. 1 through Jan. 2. Some of Broadway’s brightest stars will perform hits from Disney’s biggest Broadway shows, including “The Lion King,” “Tarzan,” “Mary Poppins,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Newsies,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aida,” “High School Musical,” “Freaky Friday” and “Frozen.”
Murder and blackmail are back on the menu with “Clue,” from Jan. 26 through Feb. 20. Casey Hushion directs this hilarious farce-meets-murder-mystery based on the cult 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro game. Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? One of America’s most treasured pieces of pop culture comes to the stage in a production that will leave you dying of laughter.
The season continues with the long-awaited world-premiere of the musical “The Wanderer,” from March 24 through April 24, directed by Kenneth Ferrone and choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby. The new musical is based on the life and music of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci, an Italian-American kid from the Bronx who skyrocketed to fame as a teenage heartthrob in the 1950s and early ’60s with hits like “Runaround Sue,” “Teenager in Love” and “I Wonder Why.”
And finally, the sisters will sing when “Sister Act” takes the stage from June 1 to 26. Based on the 1992 hit film, this feel-good musical comedy smash sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing and a story that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits. 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 helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
“We are so thrilled that we are able to bring three of our previously postponed shows into next season,” said Mark S. Hoebee, producing artistic director of the Millburn theater. “And the entire family of course will enjoy ‘A Jolly Holiday with Disney on Broadway.’ We chose to kick off this reopening season with Jason Robert Brown’s ‘Songs for a New World,’ because right now all of us are reemerging into a new world. At this moment, we need the power of theater to help us begin to heal and move forward. After this long, dark year, we are ecstatic to be able to welcome live audiences back to Paper Mill for a season filled with music, laughter and light.”
“We simply could not have made it through this crisis without the support of the loyal subscribers and donors who have kept our theater going and our spirits lifted while our doors have been closed,” managing director Michael Stotts said. “Thanks to their generosity, we were able not only to survive but to emerge ready and able to continue producing the world-class musical theater for which Paper Mill is renowned. We are eternally grateful, and our hearts are full. All of us at Paper Mill Playhouse look forward to turning the lights back on and welcoming our Paper Mill family back to our theater for a joyful 2021-2022 season!”
Paper Mill Playhouse continues to prepare for the most responsible opening possible and will reopen in the fall with a thorough COVID-19 safety plan that incorporates the latest recommendations from its medical advisers and the CDC. The theater will announce the full details of its finalized plan during the summer.
Paper Mill announces plan to reopen in the fall and 2021-22 season added by Editor on
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