By Mabel Pais

Paper Mill Playhouse housed in Millburn, NJ is the recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee, (Producing Artistic Director) and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director).  The Playhouse is one of the country’s leading regional theatres.

Paper Mill shares the wonder of creation in its 2017-2018 season with an astonishing 4 premieres: The Honeymooners; The Outsider; The Sting, A New Musical; Half Time, a New Musical; and, the major revival of a cherished holiday classic, Annie.

Along the way, some of today’s best classical singers, dancers, directors, choreographers, actors, playwrights and designers share their talents to transport you with captivating, human and funny American stories.

It’s all part of what has placed Paper Mill center stage in bringing the new American musical theater to life, and it’s why anyone looking for what’s truly next and noteworthy subscribes.

Paper Mill Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ 07041

For additional information, please visit www.papermill.org.

Annie (The Musical)

There is no better way to celebrate the “love of family, the promise that hope brings, and the joy” of this festive season than by sharing one of the world’s best-loved musicals Annie with the audience, confesses Mark S. Hoebee, Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse and Director of Annie.  It returns to Paper Mill Playhouse in time for the holidays.

Inspired by the irrepressible comic strip heroine, Annie’s brilliant book writer, the late Thomas Meehan, threaded through this musical the powerful message that family can be found in the most unlikely of places –  in a Lower East Side orphanage among one’s childhood companions, or in a mansion on Fifth Avenue with one of the world’s richest men.

The musical tells of little orphan Annie who charms everyone’s hearts when she is taken away with her lovable mutt named Sandy from an orphanage from the clutches of the cruel Miss Hannigan to stay at billionaire Oliver Warbucks’ mansion for the holidays, in the wondrous world of 1930s New York City.  Along the way, she befriends President Roosevelt. When Annie wins the hearts of Warbucks and his staff, they set out on an epic mission to find Annie’s parents.

Annie premiered over 40 years ago; it was in 1977 when that beloved little redhead orphan took Broadway by storm.  The musical captured the hearts of all generations around the globe, winning 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. The score features some of the unforgettable songs, as “It’s The Hard-Knock Life, “Easy Street,” “A New Deal for Christmas” and the eternal theme of optimism “Tomorrow.”  The anthemic tune, “Tomorrow” Annie sings near the beginning of the story declares that even during the dark times of the Great Depression, when half the country was broke or out of work and it seemed as though politicians were unconcerned with the plight of the common man, there was still hope.  And so, a little girl raised her eyes and her voice to tell the world that no matter how bad things may seem today, there’s one thing certain: the sun’ll come out tomorrow.

The Broadway original inspired 2 sequels, about 3 movie versions, countless national and international tours, major revivals, and previous Paper Mill productions in 1983 and 2002.

Book: (the late) Thomas Meehan; Music: Charles Strouse; Lyrics:  Martin Charmin

Based on: “Little Orphan Annie”

Music Supervision and Direction:  Jeffrey Saver

Choreographed by Joann M. Hunter

Directed by Mark S. Hoebee

Starring: Tony Award winner Beth Leavel as Miss Hannigan; Tony Award Nominee               Christopher Sieber as Oliver Warbucks

Ensemble Actors:  Peyton Ella, Cooper Grodin, Erin Mackey, Kevin Pariseau, Cassidy Pry, Kim Sava

Annie, the Musical, began its run on November 22 at Paper Mill Playhouse and will continue playing until December 31, 2017.

The Honeymooners (The Musical)

The Honeymooners opened the Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2017-2018 season.  Book writers Dusty Kay and Bill Nuss, composer Stephen Weiner, and lyricist Peter Mills “breathe fresh life into the beloved characters of Ralph and Alice Kramden, and Ed and Trixie Norton, true icons from the Golden Age of television – not simply rehashing old teleplays on the stage, but inventing an ingenious storyline in the best American musical comedy tradition.  Tony Award-winning director John Rando ramps up the fun with his clever staging, showcasing a stellar cast of cosmic pros as well as the talents of lauded Broadway designers, a consummate music team, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Joshua Bergasse’s splashy production numbers,” explain Mark S. Hoebee, Artistic Director and Todd Schmidt, Managing Director of the Playhouse.

The Honeymooners was a television sitcom that began in 1951 as a recurring sketch on Jackie Gleason’s live Cavalcade of Stars on the DuMont Network.   The following year it moved to CBS and the new Jackie Gleason Show.  In 1955, The Honeymooners became its own weekly half-hour sitcom.

The memorable madcap cast included Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph.

The show followed an everyman bus driver named Ralph Kramden and his sarcastic wife Alice (Audrey Meadows) who often comes to his rescue.  Ralph also has his best friend Ed Norton, portrayed by Art Carney and his wife Trixie, played by Joyce Randolph.  It was one of the first comedies on television to portray a normal married couple that is struggling to get by.  Most of the action takes place in the kitchen of their Brooklyn apartment.

In the Paper Mill Playhouse’s stage musical story, America’s favorite dreamers have a brand new scheme.  The Honeymooners is a World premiere musical comedy inspired by the classic television series. Ralph Kramden and his buddy Ed Norton are back and still shooting for the moon. After shocking their wives by winning a high profile jingle contest, they are catapulted out of Brooklyn and into the cutthroat world of Madison Avenue advertising, where they discover that their quest for the American Dream might cost them their friendship. Filled with big laughs and an infectious score, The Honeymooners bang zooms its way into your heart.

The principal cast featured Tony Award winner Michael McGrath as Ralph Kramden, Michael Mastro as Ed Norton, Leslie Kritzer as Alice Kramden, and Tony Award nominee Laura Bell Bundy as Trixie Norton, with Lewis Cleale as Bryce Bennett, Lewis J. Stadlen as Old Man Faciamatta, and David Wohl as Allen Upshaw; backed by an impressive ensemble of dancer-actors.

The production team includes set design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Jason Lyons, sound design by Kai Harada, hair, wig & makeup design by Leah J. Loukas, with orchestrations by Doug Besterman and dance arrangements by Sam Davis. The production stage manager is Timothy R. Semon. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Patrick Goodwin, CSA.

The Honeymooners, completed its run at the Playhouse, but the buzz is that the production may soon be heading to a New York’s Broadway theater.

(The author is a freelance writer.  She writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)