Monley, O'Malley and More Cast In Papermill's Oklahoma!

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the opening of the theatre's 70th Season with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!  Created by the team of director, James Brennan, and choreographer, Patti Colombo, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, the first musical play written by Rodgers and Hammerstein together - was an instant Broadway hit.  Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! will run at the Millburn theatre from September 17 through October 19, 2008.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! will play the following performance schedule: 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 are now on sale and range in price from $25 to $92.  Student rush tickets are $20 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 on 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 25% discount on tickets and should call 973-379-3636 ext. 2438.  Paper Mill is proud to announce a Family Week special offer.  From Wednesday, September 17 through Sunday, September 21, buy one adult ticket at full price and receive a child's ticket at half price. This offer is subject to availability, and is not valid on previous purchases.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, arguably the most brilliant musical ever created, changed the face of American musical theatre forever.  Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! features recurring motifs throughout the show that connect the music and story closer than any musical ever had before.  The high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story.  Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, was adapted by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein in 1943.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! brings an all-star cast of Paper Mill favorites and brilliant newcomers to the Paper Mill stage.  Adam Monley (Curly) returns to the Paper Mill stage where he last performed in Romeo and Bernadette (2003).  On Broadway, Mr. Monley appeared in Mamma Mia and off-Broadway in Fanny Hill.  Brynn O'Malley (Laurey) most recently appeared on the Paper Mill stage in Meet Me in St. Lewis (2007). On Broadway she appeared in Sunday in the Park with George, Hairspray, and Beauty and the Beast.  Returning to the Paper Mill stage is Andrew Varela (Jud Fry) who was last seen in Paper Mill's production of Happy Days (2007), Pirates! (2007), and Romeo and Bernadette (2003).  Mr. Varela's Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George, Little Women, and Les Miserables.  Beth Fowler (Aunt Eller) last appeared on Paper Mill's stage in Steel Magnolias (2008). Ms. Fowler originated the role of Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway and has also appeared in Inherit the Wind and Bells Are Ringing. Her performances in The Boy from Oz and Sweeney Todd each earned her Tony® Award Nominations.  Megan Sikora (Ado Annie) is making her Paper Mill debut.  Ms. Sikora has appeared on Broadway in Curtains, Dracula: the Musical, Wonderful Town, Wicked, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and 42nd Street.  Brian Sears (Will Parker) last appeared at Paper Mill in Hello, Dolly! (2006) and on Broadway in Grease.  John Jellison (Andrew Carnes) has previously appeared in Paper Mill's production of A Wonderful Life (2006).  His Broadway credits include All Shook Up, Passion, Caroline or Change, Anything Goes, and Oklahoma!. Joseph Kolinski (Ike Skidmore) has many Broadway credits including the original companies of Les Miserables and Titanic.   Jonathan Brody (Ali Hakim) has appeared in Paper Mill's production of Forever Plaid (1994) and has appeared on Broadway in Spamalot and Titanic.

Rounding out the Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! cast are: Ashely Adamek, J. David Anderson, Dan Bogart, Stephen Carrasco, Drew Franklin, Cynthia Leigh Heim, Anne Horak, Ryan Jackson, Danielle Jordan, Sam Kiernan, Kimberly Lemieux, Sabra Lewis, Lauren Marshall, Ryan Sandberg, Steve Schepis, Kiira Schmidt, Elizabeth Stacey, Samantha Sturm, Kyle Vaughn, and Ryan Worsing.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! will be directed by Paper Mill favorite James Brennan who most recently directed Kiss Me, Kate (2008) for the Millburn Theatre. Mr. Brennan has created productions of Call Me Madam at the Goodspeed Opera House, On Your Toes and Noises Off at the Cape Playhouse on Cape Cod, and A Wonderful Life and She Loves Me at the Paper Mill Playhouse. He has also directed the Paper Mill's productions of Noises Off, Sound of Music, and Crazy For You (which was televised on PBS), as well as the Broadway concert revivals of Cole Porter's Jubilee and Jerome Kern's Sally. Choreographer Patti Colombo returns to Paper Mill Playhouse after the critically acclaimed production of Kiss Me, Kate, which she choreographed in 2008 as well as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 2007. Ms. Colombo also choreographed Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby on Broadway which was nationally broadcast on television. Paper Mill's resident master of music Tom Helm will be the music director for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!.

 Michael Allen will serve as the Scenic Coordinator. Costumes design by Gail Baldoni, who designed Paper Mill's productions of Kiss Me, Kate, A Wonderful Life and She Loves Me.  Lighting design is by Mitchell F. Dana who previously designed the lighting for Paper Mill's production of Kiss Me, Kate. Sound design is by Randy Hansen. Hair and wig design is by Mark Adam Rampmeyer. The Production Stage Manager is Peter Hanson.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill's 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. Additional major support is provided by funding through a grant from the New Jersey Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, and generous contributions from many 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. 

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.