Paper Mill Playhouse Announces '07/'08 Season

Paper Mill Playhouse, during its 2007-2008 season, will explore six outstanding titles with intergenerational appeal - some new to the Paper Mill stage and some returning favorites.  The season opens in September with the New Jersey premiere of Happy Days: The Musical, followed by Meet Me in St. Louis based on the beloved MGM movie musical, William Gibson's Tony Award-winning play The Miracle Worker, the enduring comedy Steel Magnolias, the classic Cole Porter Masterpiece Kiss Me, Kate and, closing out the season in June is the "freakishly funny" musical Little Shop of Horrors. 

In announcing the 2007-2008 season, Diane Claussen, Paper Mill's Managing Director says, "For 2007-2008 we've chosen six shows you can enjoy and share with your entire family. With three Paper Mill premieres, a New Jersey premiere and the return of a musical theatre classic after a 40 year absence from the Paper Mill stage, we are proud to have created an irresistible line-up of productions you know and love, glorious music, and stories that will move and entertain you."

Claussen continued: "Board and staff leadership of Paper Mill Playhouse are in the process of developing a business plan which supports our artistic vision: through partnerships with other not-for-profit theatres, commercial theatre enhancement collaborations, and the Township of Millburn and other community partners, we will be able to further our mission of producing top quality intergenerational entertainment for New Jersey families."

The line-up is as follows: 

September 26 - October 28
Happy Days: The Musical
A New Jersey Premiere
"Goodbye gray skies, hello blue! Happy Days are here again with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph and the unforgettable "king of cool" Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli.  Based on the hit Paramount Pictures' television series, Happy Days: The Musical reintroduces one of America's best loved families, the Cunninghams, and the days of 1959 Milwaukee complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops, and jukebox sock-hoppin'.  The famed drive-in malt shop and number one hang-out, Arnold's, is in danger of demolition, so the gang teams up to save it with a dance contest and tv-worthy wrestling match against former Phister prison members Count Jacques and Jimbo, aka the infamous Malachi Brothers.  Even the daredevil diva Pinky Tuscadero returns to help and perhaps reunite with her 'Legend in Leather.'"

The show is adapted by creator Garry Marshall (director of Pretty Woman, Beaches, and The Princess Diaries and producer of "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy" and "The Odd Couple") with music by Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning songwriter Paul Williams.

November 7 - December 16
Meet Me in St. Louis
A Paper Mill Premiere
"Based on The Kensington Stories by Sally Benson this beloved MGM movie musical explodes on stage in this Paper Mill premiere directed by Paper Mill's Acting Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee. Travel back to the turn of the century St. Louis, where the streets buzz with trolley cars, and the people buzz with excitement. The World's Fair is coming soon-and so is a world of changes for the Smith family.  While older sisters Rose and Esther dream of happily-ever-after with their handsome beaus, the younger girls, Agnes and Tootie, spend their hours dreaming up mischief.  But when their father announces the family is moving to New York, will all those dreams become one big nightmare? "

With a score by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, Meet Me in St. Louis includes the beloved standards; "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Boy Next Door," and "The Trolley Song."  This nostalgically romantic production written by Hugh Wheeler captures the exuberance and innocence of the original in an utterly entertaining experience the whole family will enjoy.  Meet Me in St. Louis is sponsored by RBC Dain Rauscher.

January 23-February 24
The Miracle Worker
"Before Helen Keller became a world famous speaker, author, and advocate, she was a blind, deaf, and mostly mute child living in Alabama in the 1880's.  Misunderstood, pitied, and consequently spoiled by her family, at the age of six she terrorized the household with her tantrums and tricks.  Then, Anne Sullivan arrived.  She was merely 20 years old herself, but Anne held the key that would unlock the door between Helen and the world.  William Gibson's Tony Award-winning play (adapted into the Academy Award-winning film) unfolds the trials and tribulations Anne and Helen encountered as they forged what would become a 49-year-long friendship.  From their isolation in the family cottage house to the watershed moment when Helen finally understood the concept of language and communication, The Miracle Worker is a profoundly moving retelling of the groundbreaking work of two pioneers, as well as the tender relationship between them."

March 5-April 6
Steel Magnolias
"The quintessential story of friendship, Steel Magnolias serves up a slice of life in Louisiana that's as warm and comforting as sweet potato pie.  In the haven of Truvy's beauty salon, six very different women come together to share their secrets and bare their souls, throwing in a little neighborly gossip for good measure.  From weddings to divorces, babies to funerals, new beginnings to happy endings, they weather every event in their lives en masse with grace, determination, and perfectly coifed hair. When tragedy strikes, it is in the familiar comfort of Truvy's salon where they seek the solace and support that carries them through.  Robert Harling's enduring comedy is a heart-felt celebration of love, loyalty, and the bonds of sisterhood."

April 16-May 18
Kiss Me, Kate
"Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate won the very first Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949 and has been delighting audiences ever since.  Inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, this charming story follows two musical theatre actors-once married, now divorced-as they star together in a Broadway-bound musical version of Shakespeare's play.  Soon, tensions mount and tempers flare, until it seems no amount of acting can save this show.  But when two gangsters arrive to settle an old score, success becomes a matter of survival.  Filled with slapstick humor, thanks to Sam & Bella Spewack's brilliant book, classic songs like 'Wunderbar' and 'So in Love,' and sizzling dance numbers like 'Too Darn Hot,' it's no wonder Kiss Me, Kate became Cole Porter's biggest hit."

June 4-July 6
Little Shop of Horrors
A Paper Mill Premiere
"Little Shop of Horrors is the third longest-running-and highest grossing-production in off-Broadway history, earning a myriad of awards, and inspiring a wildly popular film adaptation. This hilarious musical makes its Paper Mill premiere just in time for the summer.  Based on the film by Roger Corman (Screenplay by Charles Griffith), Seymour is just a down-and-out clerk in a downtown flower shop, but things start to look up when he discovers an unusual plant... with an even more unusual appetite.  Written by the Academy Award-winning team Howard Ashman (book and lyrics) and Alan Menken (music), the artists behind Disney's Beauty and the Beast, this delightful score blends rock n'roll, doo-wop, and Motown with lyrics so memorable, you'll find yourself singing along."

The performance schedule for the 2007-2008 season at Paper Mill Playhouse is: Wednesdays at 7:30PM, Thursdays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM, Fridays at 8:00PM, Saturdays at 2:00PM & 8:00PM and Sundays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM.  Single tickets go on sale on August 13th and range in price from $25-$92. Tickets may be purchased by calling (973) 376-4343, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org.  Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. 

Photo by Linda Lenzi - Paper Mill Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee