Breaking: THE COLOR PURPLE Replaces UNMASKED as Season Opener at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse just announced that John Doyle's production of The Color Purple will open the 2018-2019 season, replacing the previously announced Unmasked.

The Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple that exhilarated Broadway will thrill audiences at Paper Mill Playhouse from September 26 to October 21. With a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score infused with jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, The Color Purple is an unforgettable and moving revival of the American classic. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and Academy Award-nominated feature film, The Color Purple leaves its mark on the soul. Casting will be announced at a later date.

From Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller and Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated film comes a stage musical with a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, and Allee Willis. This stirring family chronicle follows the inspirational Celie as she journeys from childhood through joy and despair, anguish and hope to discover the power of love and life. The original Broadway production ran from 2005 to 2008, earning eleven Tony Award nominations. An enthusiastically acclaimed Broadway revival opened in late 2015 and ran through early 2017, winning two 2016 Tony Awards-including Best Revival of a Musical.

"The Color Purple is a title that has been on my wish list for a number of years and we are thrilled to produce this masterpiece for our audience," commented Mark S. Hoebee, the theater's Producing Artistic Director. "John Doyle's visionary reimagining of this powerful tale will take our audiences on an unforgettable journey. We received news last week from our producing partners in London that due to unforeseen scheduling issues, Unmasked can no longer be presented as part of our 2018-2019 Paper Mill Playhouse season. We look forward to presenting it in a future season."

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Three, four and five-show subscription packages are available now starting at just $111. Each subscription package includes a different level of special benefits (see www.PaperMill.org for details). Youth subscriptions are available for children ages 4-18 with the purchase of an adult subscription with accessible discount pricing. Single tickets will go on sale on August 20 starting at just $35. Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, or 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. Subscribers who have chosenUnmasked as part of their series will automatically have their seats transferred to The Color Purple. If subscribers would like add tickets to The Color Purple or modify their subscription, they can call the Paper Mill Playhouse subscriptions office at 973.379.3717.

Following The Color Purple, Paper Mill Playhouse will produce Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn (November 21-December 30) based on the beloved Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film. This heartwarming, toe-tapping production features more than 20 classic songs from the Berlin catalog, including "Easter Parade," "Cheek to Cheek," "Steppin' Out with My Baby," and "White Christmas." Next winter, Paper Mill Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical My Very Own British Invasion (January 31-March 3), directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. The 1960s British music scene comes to life with songs from Herman's Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Petula Clark, The Moody Blues, and other legendary bands of the era. The spring brings the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon (April 4-May 5). Based on the 1993 film which starred Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson, this new musical is a smart, funny, tender-hearted celebration of love: between children and parents; romantic partners; friends; and, most of all, siblings. The final production of the season, Disney's Beauty and the Beast (May 29-June 30), an international sensation that has played to more than 35 million people in 13 countries. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature, the stage production includes all of the original songs from the movie by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, plus additional gems by Menken and Tim Rice. Titles, casting and dates subject to change.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audience an opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions. Have you ever wanted to sneak a peek behind the curtain? Or wondered what the director was thinking, or how the cast prepares for a show? Join us for one of many revealing insider's experiences. Visit the Paper Mill Playhouse website at www.papermill.org for dates for our Director's Viewpoint Series, Conversation Club Series, Q&A's with the Cast and more.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers people with disabilities the opportunity to see live theater with dignity and independence through a myriad of award-winning access programs and services, including audio description and sensory seminars for the blind, Braille and large-print programs, American Sign Language interpretation for the deaf, open-captioning for those with hearing loss, and assistive listening devices. In addition, Paper Mill Playhouse provides Autism-friendly performances of both mainstage and children's shows throughout the season.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Todd Schmidt (Managing Director) and recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is one of the country's leading regional theaters. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

For additional information, please visit www.papermill.org.