Photo Coverage: Meet the Cast of Paper Mill Playhouse's BENNY & JOON

Paper Mill Playhouse will soon present the East Coast premiere of Benny & Joon with book by Kirsten Guenther, music by Nolan Gasser, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, based on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture written by Barry Berman and Leslie McNeil.

Benny & Joon begins performances Thursday, April 4, 2019, and will continue through Sunday, May 5, 2019, at Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ). Benny & Joonis presented by special arrangement with Larry Hirschhorn. Opening Night is set for Sunday, April 14, 2019, at 7:00pm.

Directed by Jack Cummings III, with choreography by Scott Rink and music direction by J. Oconer Navarro, the principal cast featuresClaybourne Elder (Sunday in the Park with George) as Benny, Hannah Elless (Paper Mill's The Other Josh Cohen) as Joon, Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) as Sam, Conor Ryan as Sam at certain performances, (Paper Mill's My Very Own British Invasion) andTatiana Wechsler (Oklahoma) as Ruthie, with Colin Hanlon (Falsettos) as Mike, Paolo Montalban (Paper Mill's The King and I) as Larry, Natalie Toro (A Tale of Two Cities) as Dr. Cortez/Mrs. Smail, Jacob Keith Watson (Carousel) as Waldo/Video Store Owner and Belinda Allyn (Paper Mill'sWest Side Story).

Based on the 1993 film starring 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 pair at the heart of the show are Joon, a young woman dealing with mental illness, and Benny, the big brother who's determined to take care of her. When a charmingly eccentric stranger comes into their lives, he throws their carefully calibrated world off-kilter-maybe for the better. Large in emotional scope and artistic ambition, Benny & Joonembraces a difficult subject with warmth, honesty, and wit.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

The cast & creative team

Colin Hanlon, Tatiana Wechsler, Natalie Toro, Paolo Montalban, Claybourne Elder, Hannah Elless, Bryce Pinkham, Jacob Keith Watson, Belinda Allyn and Conor Ryan

Colin Hanlon, Tatiana Wechsler, Natalie Toro, Paolo Montalban, Claybourne Elder, Hannah Elless, Bryce Pinkham, Jacob Keith Watson, Belinda Allyn and Conor Ryan

Paolo Montalban, Colin Hanlon, Claybourne Elder, Bryce Pinkham, Jacob Keith Watson and Conor Ryan

Belinda Allyn, Tatiana Wechsler, Hannah Elless and Natalie Toro

Belinda Allyn, Tatiana Wechsler, Hannah Elless and Natalie Toro

Claybourne Elder, Hannah Elless and Bryce Pinkham

Claybourne Elder, Hannah Elless and Bryce Pinkham

Bryce Pinkham and Hannah Elless

Bryce Pinkham and Hannah Elless

Kirsten Guenther, J. Oconer Navarro, Scott Rink, Jack Cummings III, Nolan Gasser and Mindi Dickstein

Kirsten Guenther, J. Oconer Navarro, Scott Rink, Jack Cummings III, Nolan Gasser and Mindi Dickstein

J. Oconer Navarro, Jack Cummings III and Scott Rink

Kirsten Guenther, Nolan Gasser and Mindi Dickstein

Michael Stotts and Mark S. Hoebee

Jack Cummings III

Claybourne Elder and Hannah Elless

Nolan Gasser and Mindi Dickstein