Krystina Alabado & More to Star in MYSTIC PIZZA at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse has revealed the full cast and the creative team for Mystic Pizza, the next production in Paper Mill’s 2024-2025 season.
 
The new musical begins performances Wednesday, January 29, ahead of a Sunday, February 2, opening night at Paper Mill Playhouse, with the run continuing through Sunday, February 23, 2025.
 
Based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture with story and characters by Amy Holden Jones (Fox’s “The Resident”), Mystic Pizza features a book written by Sandy Rustin (The Cottage); music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Carmel Dean (The Notebook); music direction by Kristin Stowell (First National Tour of The Cher Show); choreography by Connor Gallagher (Beetlejuice); and direction by Casey Hushion (Mean Girls).
 
The show also features scenic design by Nate Bertone, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Ryan J. O’Gara, sound design by Matt Kraus, and hair and wig design by Roxanne De Luna. Casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting.
 
The cast will feature Krystina Alabado (Mean Girls) as Daisy Arujo, Alaina Anderson (Dear Evan Hansen) as Katherine “Kat” Arujo, Deánna Giulietti (VH1’s “Fuhgeddabout Christmas”) as Josephine “JoJo” Barboza, Ben Fankhauser (Newsies) as Tim Travers, F. Michael Haynie (Wicked) as Bill Montijo, Vincent Michael (Rent at the Muny) as Charles “Charlie” Gordon Windsor, Jr. and others, Jennifer Fouché (Chicago) as Leona Silvia, Mia Gerachis (Sweeney Todd) as Debbie and others, James Hindman (Mary Poppins) as Charles Windsor, Sr. and others, Michael James (Mystic Pizza at La Mirada Theatre) as Lou and others, April Josephine (Mean Girls) as Mrs. Arujo and others, Alyssa M. Simmons (Mystic Pizza at La Mirada Theatre) as Aunt Bonnie and others, Victor Souffrant (Man of La Mancha at Orlando Shakes) as Mr. Barboza and others, Jake Swain (Mean Girls) as Frank and others, Zephaniah Wages (Once on This Island at Pittsburgh CLO) as George and others, and Rachel Kae Wirtz (Bat Out of Hell at the Paris Las Vegas) as Lorna and others. Chachi Delgado (Evita at San Francisco Playhouse) and Adriana Negron (West Side Story at Pittsburgh CLO) will be swings.
 
Based on the classic 1988 movie starring Julia Roberts, Mystic Pizza is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features megahits of the 80s and 90s, from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” and songs originally recorded by Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, John Cougar Mellencamp, Debbie Gibson, Wilson Phillips, The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Rick Astley, Bryan Adams, among many others.