Performances Begin Tomorrow for SISTER ACT Starring Nicole Vanessa Ortiz & More at Paper Mill Playhouse

Performances begin tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1 for the Broadway musical Sister Act at Paper Mill Playhouse. Sister Act features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, and additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane, based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture Sister Act written by Joseph Howard. Sister Act will play through Sunday, June 26, 2022 at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ). Opening Night is Sunday evening, June 5, 2022 at 7:00 pm.


The cast will feature Nicole Vanessa Ortiz (Paper Mill Debut, Smokey Joe's Cafe Off-Broadway) as Deloris Van Cartier, Akron Watson (Paper Mill Debut, The Color Purple on Broadway) as Curtis, Jennifer Allen (Carnival at Paper Mill, The Bridges of Madison County on Broadway) as Mother Superior, John Treacy Egan (Clue at Paper Mill, My Fair Lady on Broadway) as Monsignor O'Hara, Belinda Allyn (Beauty and the Beast at Paper Mill, Allegiance on Broadway) as Sister Mary Robert, Diane J. Findlay (Funny Girl at Paper Mill, Fish in the Dark on Broadway) as Sister Mary Lazarus, Kara Mikula (Paper Mill debut, The Cradle Will Rock at Classic Stage Company) as Sister Mary Patrick, Jarran Muse (A Jolly Holiday at Paper Mill, Ain't Too Proud on Broadway) as Lt. Eddie Souther, Anthony Alfaro (Paper Mill debut, On Your Feet! national tour) as Pablo, Ryan Gregory Thurman (Paper Mill debut, Elf national tour) as TJ, and Jacob Keith Watson (Benny & Joon at Paper Mill, Carousel on Broadway) as Joey.

Rounding out the cast are Rachelle Rose Clark, Steve Czarnecki, Madeleine Doherty, Denzel Edmondson, Dion Simmons Grier, Joe Hornberger, Kolby Kindle, Ashley Masula, Stephanie Miller, Alaina Mills, Heather Parcells, Chandler Reeves, Michael Schimmele, Sydney Skye, Alyson Snyder, Anne Fraser Thomas, Ariana Valdes and Zuri Washington.

Based on the 1992 hit film, Sister Act is a feel-good musical comedy smash that sizzles with powerful music, spectacular dancing and a story brimming with heart. The madcap plot is set in motion when disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder and must go into hiding in a convent-where she clashes, hilariously, with cloistered life. Deloris inspires the sisters with her soulful style, but the church choir's newfound fame attracts the attention of the bad guys. Featuring original music by Tony and eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), the musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Direction by Jerry Zaks is being restaged by Steven Beckler with choreography by Anthony Van Laast being restaged by Janet Rothermel, and music direction by Christopher Babbage. The production team includes original scenic design by Klara Zieglerova, original costume design by Lez Brotherston, costume coordination and additional design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Matt Kraus, and hair & wig design by Kaitlyn Adams. The Production Stage Manager is Daniel Everett. Casting is by Binder Casting.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audiences the opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions, including Q&As with the Cast. New this season, Paper Mill Prologues and The Director's Viewpoint will be available to everyone on the Paper Mill Playhouse mobile app.

Q&A with the Cast: After the matinee on Saturday, June 25, stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.

TICKETS

Tickets start at $36 and may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org. All major credit cards accepted. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.376.4343. Students may order $20 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance. Subscription packages are also available starting at just $114.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers award-winning access programs and services, including audio-described performances on June 25 & 26 at 1:30 pm (sensory seminars for the blind are held at noon) and an American Sign Language interpreted and open-captioned performance on June 26 7:00 pm. Braille and large-print programs and assistive listening devices available.

Paper Mill Playhouse requires proof of vaccination for all artists, staff and audiences over 5 years of age, as well as the wearing of face coverings for all staff and audiences in the theater and lobbies. For the complete and latest protocols please visit papermill.org/reopening-guidelines.

Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change.

About Paper Mill Playhouse

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including Disney's Newsies, Les Misérables, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. The theater is also the home to an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation's premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. We acknowledge that our theater stands on the traditional land of the Lenni-Lenape, and we honor the Indigenous people who inhabited it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for 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.

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