Paper Mill Playhouse Extends Outdoor Dining and Brookside Cabaret Through October

Paper Mill Playhouse is extending outdoor cabaret performances into October due to the extremely popular demand of its alfresco summer Brookside Cabaret series at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House Restaurant, along with newly added Wednesday-night "Rocktober" entertainment.

Paper Mill and Broadway veteran singers will return to the Brookside Cabaret for fall performances presented Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 6:30 PM, featuring Kathryn Allison (October 1-3); Kelli Rabke, joined by guitarist Sean Harkness and pianist John Fischer (October 8-10); Elizabeth Ward Land's tribute to Linda Ronstadt, with Matt Castle (October 15-17); and Susan Speidel and Joe Regan (October 22-24). The Carriage House Restaurant offers an exquisite two-course prix fixe menu, including the entertainment, for $70 per person; appetizing small plates are available at the courtyard's high-top tables ($30 minimum per person). Cabaret performances are subject to weather, with rain dates on Sunday evenings.

Rocktober Wednesdays at the Carriage House will showcase New Jersey's best rock and roll cover bands each Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM (weather permitting), featuring This Old Engine (September 30), Spare Tire Band (October 7), Soular Bone (October 14), and the Squeaky Wheels (October 21). Rock and folk fans can relax and refuel after work with favorite tunes, local brews for the occasion, full bar, and a special menu of small plates. There is no cover charge but a $30 minimum per person.

Brookside Cabaret and Dining is sponsored by PNC Wealth Management and Szerlip & Co. Jersey Beer Co. is the beverage partner for Rocktober Wednesdays.

The Carriage House Restaurant at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House opens for safe, socially distanced alfresco dining at 5:00 PM Wednesday-Saturday. Prix fixe Sunday brunch includes fresh fruit salad and choice of entrée, served from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, for $30 per person. Reservations are required for Rocktober Wednesdays, Brookside Cabaret, and Sunday brunch. Contactless curbside pickup also is available for dinner or brunch.

The Carriage House Restaurant is located at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Dr., Millburn, NJ. For menus and reservations, to order curbside pickup, and to learn more about our safety protocols, visit PaperMill.org/restaurant.

ROCKTOBER WEDNESDAYS LINEUP

Wednesdays at 6:30 PM

September 30: This Old Engine

This Old Engine delivers their interpretation of the music of the Grateful Dead for a growing base of devoted fans. Playing regularly throughout north and central New Jersey, TOE is an eclectic jam band of some of the best players assembled from the Samples, Spare Tire Band, Soular Bone, and the Watchung Mountain Riders.

October 7: Spare Tire Band

The Spare Tire Band plays classic and alternative rock at bars, restaurants, and events in north and central New Jersey. Known for their musicianship, STB rolls out hits from the Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and more!

October 14: Soular Bone

A mostly female ensemble (where are all the lady drummers hiding?), Soular Bone crafts rootsy acoustic covers of favorite indie rock songs while delivering sweet harmonies. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, the band creates a rich tapestry of music that will have audiences humming along.

October 21: Squeaky Wheels

The Wheels are in motion! The Squeaky Wheels play indie-rock and coffeehouse covers. They strum, pluck, squeeze, and bow their way through an eclectic repertoire on guitars, accordion, fiddle, flute, mandolin, and anything else they can find to tap!

BROOKSIDE CABARET PERFORMERS

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 6:30 PM

October 1, 2 & 3: Kathryn Allison

Kathryn Allison was first seen on the Paper Mill Playhouse stage as a student and performer in the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory New Voices Concert in 2014. Since then she has appeared in three Broadway shows: Aladdin, Wicked, and the most recent revival of Company. She released her debut album, Something Real, in February 2019, and she has performed at Feinstein's/54 Below, Joe's Pub, and Rockwood Music Hall. Other TV/film and recording redits include John Cameron Mitchell's Anthem: Homunculus, Loveville High, Our Cartoon President, Elementary, and The Bachelorette. Kathryn lends her warm, soulful voice and a musical wisdom beyond her years to pop and R&B standards, show tunes, and more.

October 8, 9 & 10: Kelli Rabke with John Fischer on piano and Sean Harkness on guitar
Kelli Rabke returns to the Brookside Cabaret with her first-class trio. She got her "big break" as Dorothy in Paper Mill Playhouse's The Wizard of Oz and went on to play the Narrator in the Broadway revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (US cast recording), Éponine in Les Misérables on Broadway, among others, and she returned to Paper Mill in the landmark production of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden. Kelli is now a staple in the NYC cabaret world. Her first solo cabaret show debuted to a sold-out crowd at Feinstein's/54 Below, and since then she's been featured in shows ranging from Sondheim to Streisand to Bernstein.

October 15, 16 & 17: Elizabeth Ward Land with Matt Castle: Still Within the Sound of My Voice: The Songs of Linda Ronstadt

Elizabeth Ward Land, backed by pianist and singer Matt Castle, drew raves for her Linda Ronstadt tribute concert this summer at the Brookside Cabaret; earlier this year the show won the 2020 Bistro Award for Outstanding Tribute Show. She is known for her versatility across the entertainment industry, with Broadway and tour credits such as Amazing Grace, Memphis, Passion, City of Angels, Les Misérables, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Singin' in the Rain. Her acclaimed debut CD, First Harvest, is available on iTunes. Matt Castle made his Broadway debut in 2006 playing Peter in Company directed by John Doyle. He has appeared at Paper Mill in Guys and Dolls. As a musical director, he has worked on more than 90 new musicals and revivals including Into the Woods (Fiasco), The Last Five Years (ACT), Once Upon a Mattress (Transport Group), Indian Joe (Goodspeed), and Found (Atlantic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles).

October 22, 23 & 24: Susan Speidel and Joe Regan

Susan Speidel and Joe Regan inaugurated the Brookside Cabaret series and have been audience favorites all summer long. Susan Speidel served for 20 years as the Director of Education at Paper Mill. As a performer, she appeared on the Paper Mill stage and has presented cabaret shows in New York and beyond. She has been a soloist with symphonies and pops orchestras, and she has appeared in leading roles in Hello, Dolly!, Gypsy, Nunsense, Chicago, The Pirates of Penzance, Sweeney Todd, and more. Joe Regan is a fixture on the cabaret scene in the metropolitan area, appearing in piano bars and cabaret rooms as well as on international river cruises and at various resorts. He has been nominated numerous times as Outstanding Piano Bar Instrumentalist by the Manhattan Association of Cabaret.

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