Photo Coverage: Meet the Cast of Paper Mill Playhouse's Judy Garland Musical- CHASING RAINBOWS
By: Genevieve Rafter Keddy Sep. 13, 2019
Paper Mill Playhouse will soon present the New Jersey premiere of Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz. Chasing Rainbows features a book by Marc Acito, musical adaptation & additional music by David Libby and conceived by and additional lyrics by Tina Marie Casamento. Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz begins performances Thursday, September 26, 2019, and will continue through Sunday, October 27, 2019, at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ).
Directed and choreographed by Tony award nominee Denis Jones, Orchestrations by Larry Blank and David Libby with music direction byLawrence Yurman, the principal cast features Ruby Rakos (Billy Elliot) as Judy Garland/Frances Gumm, Tony Award nominee Max Von Essen (An American in Paris, Paper Mill's The Baker's Wife) as Frank Gumm, Olivier Award-winner Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Dames at Sea) as Ethel Gumm, Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, And the World Goes 'Round) as Ma Lawlor/Kay Koverman, Stephen DeRosa (Into the Woods, HBO'sBoardwalk Empire) as Louis B. Mayer, Michael Wartella (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tuck Everlasting) as Mickey Rooney, and Colin Hanlon (ABC's Modern Family, Paper Mill's Benny & Joon) as Roger Edens.
Rounding out the cast are Tia Altinay, Mackenzie Bell, Kristen Grace Brown, Lamont Brown, Joe Cassidy, Clara Cox, Tessa Grady, Sophie Knapp (Teaneck, NJ), Molly Lyons, Kimberly Immanuel, Christina Maxwell, Kevin B. McGlynn, Allsun O'Malley, Samantha Joy Pearlman, Drew Redington, Joshua J. Schwartz, Parker Slaybaugh, Sean Thompson, Violet Tinnirello and Kathy Voytko(Bloomfield, NJ).
Before she burst onto the big screen as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland was a young vaudeville trouper named Frances Gumm. In this highly anticipated new musical chronicling Garland's early career from vaudeville baby to MGM teen star in the making, the road to Oz is paved with adversity. At its heart a story of love between a father and daughter, featuring such legendary songs as "Over the Rainbow," "You Made Me Love You," and "Everybody Sing," Chasing Rainbows is a poignant coming-of-age tale about "the little girl with the big voice," who went on to become one of the world's most beloved entertainment icons. The show has already earned praise from Liza Minnelli, who said, "My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame."
The company just met the press and we're taking you inside the big day below!
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Mark S. Hoebee
Michael Stotts and Mark S. Hoebee
Denis Jones (Director and Choreographer)
Sophie Knapp and Max von Essen
Sophie Knapp and Max von Essen
Sophie Knapp and Max von Essen
Sophie Knapp
Michael Wartella and Ruby Rakos
Michael Wartella and Ruby Rakos
Michael Wartella and Ruby Rakos
Michael Wartella, Violet Tinnirello and Ruby Rakos
Michael Wartella and cast
Michael Wartella, Violet Tinnirello and Ruby Rakos with the cast
Ruby Rakos, Karen Mason and Michael Wartella with the cast
Lesli Margherita and Max von Essen
The Cast and Creative Team of Chasing Rainbows
Lesli Margherita, Ruby Rakos, Michael Wartella, Violet Tinnirello, Sophie Knapp, Max von Essen, Denis Jones and Karen Mason
The Cast and Creative Team of Chasing Rainbows
Karen Mason, Ruby Rakos, Max von Essen and Mark S. Hoebee
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