John Treacy Egan, Jill Paice, and More Set to Lead LEND ME A TENOR at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) has just announced the cast for its winter comedy, Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor. This hysterically funny, door-slamming comedy will feature Broadway stars and Paper Mill Playhouse favorites including: Judith Blazer (Maria), John Treacy Egan (Tito), Donna English (Diana), Nancy Johnston (Julia), David Josefsberg (Max), Michael Kostroff (Saunders), Jill Paice (Maggie) and Mark Price (Bellhop). Lend Me a Tenor will be directed by Don Stephenson. Lend Me a Tenor will run at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from February 13 through March 10, 2013. The official press opening is Sunday, February 17, at 7:00pm.

Nominated for nine Tony Awards, winner of three Drama Desk Awards and the Olivier Award for Best Comedy of the Year, Lend Me a Tenor is a wildly entertaining farce. The renowned tenor "Il Stupendo" is scheduled to sing the lead in the opera Otello. Chaos ensues when his wife mistakenly leaves him a "Dear John" letter and the distraught singer is accidentally given a double dose of tranquilizers. What follows is a laugh-out-loud chain reaction of mistaken identity, farcical plot twists, double entendres, and musical mayhem. The New York Times calls Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor "one of the two great farces by a living writer."

Lend Me a Tenor will be performed eight times a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Performance Schedule: Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm, Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 8:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Single tickets are on sale now and range from $26 to $97. 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 ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. Lend Me a Tenor is proudly sponsored by American Airlines.

Broadway powerhouse Judith Blazer will play the role of Maria. Ms. Blazer was seen on Broadway in Lovemusik, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Titanic, Me and My Girl and A Change in the Heir. Off Broadway credits include: Whida Peru: Resurrection Tangle; NYC Opera's Sweeney Todd and Candide; The Torch-Bearers; Hurrah at Last; Bernarda Alba and Hello Again. You may have seen Ms. Blazer on television in Law and Order, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Bernstein's New York, and In Performance at the White House. Ms. Blazer has appeared in numerous Paper Mill Playhouse productions, including her celebrated performance as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

John Treacy Egan will portray Tito Merelli. Mr. Egan appeared on Broadway in Sister Act (Joey), The Little Mermaid (Chef Louis), The Producers (Max Bialystock, Roger DeBris, Franz Liebkind), Jekyll & Hyde, and Bye Bye Birdie. On television Mr. Egan appeared in Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock, Cupid and Law & Order. Donna English of Montclair, NJ, returns to Paper Mill Playhouse as Diana following her critically acclaimed performance as Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music. English also appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse in Hairspray (Velma), Harold and Maude (Mrs. Chasen), and Meet Me in St. Louis (Anna Smith), among others. English's New York credits include Nice Work If You Can Get It; Madame X (2011 NYMF Outstanding Performance Award), Ruthless! (Drama Desk nomination); and Broadway, directed by George Abbott. Nancy Johnston will play Julia. Most recently Ms. Johnston appeared on Broadway in Elf. Other Broadway credits include The Secret Garden and the 2000 revival of The Music Man. Off Broadway credits include Jessica Gatewood in the world premiere of Splendora, Merrily We Roll Along, White Lies, Olympus on My Mind, and Encores' Allegro.

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