'PRAIRIE', 'YONKERS', 'TOWN', 'SMOKEY JOE'S' & 'PAN' Make Up Paper Mill's 2009/2010 Season

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee -Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones - Executive Director) is announces the 2009-2010 season as with five outstanding titles - some premiering on the Paper Mill stage and some returning favorites.

The season opens in September with a musical that highlights and celebrates America's frontier, Little House on the Prairie. In November, Paper Mill produces the classic song and dance spectacular On the Town. The winter months bring Lost in Yonkers, a Neil Simon classic to brighten the stage and warm your heart. Spring is twisting and jiving with the 1950's rock ‘n' roll extravaganza Smokey Joe's Café. The season closes with the internationally acclaimed classic Peter Pan.

Paper Mill Playhouse will produce eight performances a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Student rush tickets are $25 and are available the day of performance in person with current student ID.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, or at the Paper Mill 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 35% discount on tickets and should call 973-379-3636 ext. 2438.

Paper Mill Playhouse is pleased to announce that Investors Savings Bank will once again be our season sponsor. Carolyn Ferolito, Co-Chair of Paper Mill's Board of Trustees adds, "The continued support from Investors Savings Bank allows Paper Mill Playhouse to continue to produce the highest quality productions, arts education programs and outreach initiatives." Kevin Cummings, President and CEO of Investors Savings Bank re-affirmed the bank's commitment to Paper Mill Playhouse and the arts in New Jersey. "Our commitment to community involvement and good corporate citizenship is a fundamental part of Investors' corporate culture. The Playhouse contributes significantly to New Jersey's cultural resources and provides access to high-quality theater and education programs to adults and children in our state. We are proud to be a part of this."
Also supporting Paper Mill's 2009-2010 season are; American Airlines, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and RBC Wealth Management.

In announcing the 2009-2010 season, Mark S. Hoebee, Paper Mill's Artistic Director says, "The shows that we have chosen for this season are certain to appeal to many varied facets of our audience. We are opening with Little House on the Prairie, a brand new musical based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder novels and the popular television series starring Melissa Gilbert as ‘Ma'. We follow this immediately with the quintessential musical about New York City, On the Town. With a lush score by Leonard Bernstein and incredible choreography by Patti Columbo (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; Kiss Me, Kate), this show is the perfect piece for the entire family. After the holidays we are bringing Neil Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Lost in Yonkers to our stage, and we will usher in the spring with a celebration of some of the greatest music of the 50s and 60s - Smokey Joe's Café. With a score full of mega-hits like "On Broadway," "Hound Dog," "Yakety Yak" and "Stand By Me" Smokey Joe's Café is a non-stop rock and roll party. And our final offering of the season invites everyone to be a kid and dream again with our production of Peter Pan. This enchanting musical is a theatrical event which will delight children of all ages, and to make Paper Mill's production especially unique, we will be conducting a nationwide search for the new ‘Peter Pan'."

This December Paper Mill Playhouse will once again partner with New Jersey Ballet for the 39th consecutive season of Nutcracker along with the renowned Paper Mill Orchestra. Clara and her valiant Nutcracker Prince return to the stage along with the Sugar Plum Fairy, toy soldiers, and villainous Mouse King. Stunning sets and an enormous Christmas tree light up the Paper Mill stage. Experience the wonder of the Nutcracker as originally envisioned by its creators, with the lush live orchestral score. Nutcracker runs from December 18 through December 27.

Mark W. Jones, Paper Mill's Executive Director, shares his thoughts on the 2009-2010 season, "Collaboration with other theaters and producers is the essential characteristic of the 2009-2010 season. We will be sharing production costs and our artistic expertise with no less than four other not-for-profit theaters and a group of producers. Our audience expects the highest level of quality at Paper Mill and they will not be disappointed. At the same time, we need to balance our budget. Sharing costs with others in this challenging economy will allow us to achieve both these goals."


September 10 - October 10
Little House on the Prairie

MUSIC BY Rachel Portman
BOOK BY Rachel Sheinkin
LYRICS BY Donna DiNovelli
BASED ON THE BOOK "LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE" BY Laura Ingalls Wilder
SPONSORED BY RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Restoring our faith in the future by recalling the stories of our past...
Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most beloved celebrations of early Americana since the appearance of Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular classic book series 70 years ago. Now the inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in an uplifting new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played ‘Laura' for ten years in the much loved-television series, continues her legacy by starring as ‘Ma'. Families will continue to fall in love with these life-affirming stories about the Ingalls' struggles and triumphs through the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded - a spirit that resonates within each of us today.



November 11 - December 6
On the Town

MUSIC BY Leonard Bernstein
BOOK AND LYRICS BY Betty Comden AND Adolph Green
BASED ON AN IDEA BY Jerome Robbins
The fleet is in and New York will never be the same! Leonard Bernstein's and Jerome Robbins' dance spectacular, On the Town sails onto the Paper Mill Playhouse stage just in time for the holidays. A musical devoted to celebrating New York City in all its glorious diversity, On the Town is the story of three sailors - Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie who are on a 24-hour leave and searching for romance and boy do they find it! On the Town opened on Broadway in the 1940's romantic, post-war era and introduced America to such standards as, "New York, New York" and "I Can Cook Too". "Piping, pumping and altogether transporting music," as Charles Isherwood of the New York Times described it, On the Town is a "wonderland of pleasure, romance and hot fun." On the Town, will feature choreography by the nationally-acclaimed and Paper Mill Playhouse favorite, Patti Columbo.



February 17 - March 14
Lost in Yonkers

WRITTEN BY Neil Simon
Paper Mill will warm your heart this winter with Neil Simon's entertaining and thought-provoking classic Lost in Yonkers. Often proclaimed as Neil Simon's best work, this Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a funny and touching portrayal of acceptance, survival, and family dynamics. Set during World War II, brothers Arty and Jay are sent to live with their frightfully intimidating Grandma and sweet but mentally slow Aunt Bella, punctuated by visits from their "gangster" Uncle Louie. This masterwork is an unsentimental examination of lives in an oppressive household, climaxing with a dramatic confrontation between the bitter mother and lonely daughter. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think. And, in its honest, unerring portrait of a family, you just might recognize your own experience.



April 7 - May 2
Smokey Joe's Café

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY Jerry Leiber AND Mike Stoller
1950's America is glorified in this rock ‘n' roll, pop, rhythm and blues musical. "Love Potion #9," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Spanish Harlem" are featured among nearly 40 of the greatest songs ever recorded that will electrify your emotions. Leiber and Stoller illuminate a golden age of American culture with classic themes of love won, lost and imagined. Smokey Joe's Café isn't just great pop music - it's compelling musical theater.



June 2 - June 27
Peter Pan

LYRICS BY Carolyn Leigh
MUSIC BY MARK CHARLAP
ADDITIONAL MUSIC BY JULES STYNE
ADDITIONAL LYRICS BY Betty Comden AND Adolph Green
BASED ON THE PLAY BY James M. Barrie
"You Can Fly" to magical Neverland at Paper Mill Playhouse for this swashbuckling epic that delivers non-stop action, spellbinding music and stunning choreography. Join Peter Pan and the lost boys as they battle the despicable Captain Hook and his diabolical pirates aboard the Jolly Roger with a little help from Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell. Don't miss Peter Pan, the smash-hit musical adaptation of James Barrie's ageless classic that has played to packed houses internationally. You do believe in fairies, don't you?

ENHANCE YOUR THEATER EXPERIENCE WITH A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT ANY PAPER MILL PRODUCTION
Paper Mill Playhouse offers audience enrichment activities that bring the production off the stage into the lap of our patrons. Speak intimately with casts, directors and Paper Mill's artistic staff prior to or directly following the performances as we reveal the creative process.

DIRECTOR'S NOTES & COFFEE SERIES • FREE!
Wednesdays prior to curtain at 6:30pm in the Art Gallery on the following dates:
◊ September 16 ◊ November 11 ◊ February 17 ◊ April 7 ◊ June 2
Patrons gain insight into each performance from our directors' points of view and enjoy coffee on us.

CONVERSATION SERIES • FREE!
Every Thursday prior to curtain at 6:30pm in the Theater Mezzanine
Hosted by our Education Department, patrons enjoy an informal and informative gathering to learn more about the performance. Audience members may even see preparations on Paper Mill's stage for that evening's performance.

CAST TALKBACK SERIES • FREE!
Directly following the Saturday matinee in the Theater on the following dates:
◊ September 19 ◊ November 14 ◊ February 20 ◊ April 10 ◊ June 5
The audience asks the questions! Patrons learn all they want to know about how our casts prepare for their roles, their rehearsal process, and more.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is provided by generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.