Agatha Christie, 'Rent,' Disney and 'Sound of Music': Paper Mill Playhouse has a new season

Jim Beckerman
NorthJersey.com

"On Your Feet!," the very first production of the 2022-2023 season at Paper Mill Playhouse, opening Oct. 7, pretty much sums it up.

Paper Mill Playhouse is getting back on its feet. So are we all.  

"It's a call to action," said Mark S. Hoebee, producing artistic director of the Millburn theater, which announced its first full-throttle post-pandemic season Tuesday.

Tickets for three, four and five-show packages are now on sale; tickets for individual shows go on sale August 22.

Paper Mill does have a season currently on the boards ("The Wanderer" plays there through April 24, followed by "Sister Act," June 1- 26).

But the current lineup was somewhat attenuated, out of necessity. The first shows, last year, were small concerts. "We started that way purposely, not knowing what the pandemic would bring," he said. 

Mark S. Hoebee

Now Paper Mill is telling the world: we're back. "Come join us, dance in the aisles, stand up and applaud," he said.

As always, there's something for everyone, and every demographic.

'On Your Feet!'

Gloria and Emilio Estefan on their wedding day in 1978.

This is something a bit different for Paper Mill — not the strains of Andrew Lloyd Webber or Stephen Sondheim, but Emilio & Gloria Estefan, the husband and wife team from Miami who brought "Conga" to every wedding, ever. "On Your Feet!" (Oct. 7 to Nov. 6) will be directed by Paper Mill veteran Alex Sanchez (" West Side Story," "Beauty and the Beast"), with music direction by Andrew David Sotomayor (Paper Mill's "Some Enchanted Evening.") Expect to be conga-ing in the aisles. 

"We want people to literally be dancing in their seats — that's encouraged," Hoebee said.

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'The Sound of Music'

"The Sound of Music" -- the 1965 movie version with Julie Andrews

Then it's back to terra firma with "The Sound of Music," (Dec. 2 to Jan. 1 2023), the ever-popular Rodgers and Hammerstein classic about a singing governess, her singing brood of ragamuffins, and the odd Nazi or two (who do not sing). Kenny Ingram, who choreographed Paper Mill's "Songs for a New World" and "A Jolly Holiday," will be doing the dances; Hoebee himself directs. The tunes — does anybody even need to be told the tunes? Just try to get "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things," "The Sound of Music," and "Edelweiss'' out of your head. 

"This is the kind of show that is so strong that adults want to see it again, and there's always a new crop of young people who have never seen it on stage," Hoebee said. Moreover, current events have made this story about a family fleeing its homeland in the wake of a foreign invasion newly relevant.

"Unfortunately, it has a very timely message given the events in the world now," he said.

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'Disney's Hercules'

Disney's "Hercules" -- the 1997 animated film

Next, Paper Mill continues its longstanding relationship with the Disney organization with "Disney’s Hercules" (February 9 – March 12, 2023). You can expect music and muscle, both, as the mythological hero discovers that love is the biggest of his labors. “Go the Distance,” “Zero to Hero” and “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” are some of the tunes by Alan Menken and David Zippel. This production, directed by Lear deBessonet, is the first full two-act version of this show based on the 1997 animated film; a shorter 90-minute version played at the Public Theater in New York.

"I think this is our sixth collaboration with the Disney Theatrical Group," Hoebee said. "They're the best partners any theater could imagine, especially when your core mission is musicals and family entertainment." 

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'Murder on the Orient Express'

Kenneth Branagh stars in “Murder on the Orient Express.” Nicola Dove, Twentieth Century Fox (courtesy)

From Hercules to Hercule might seem like a stretch. But though "Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express"  (April 12 – May 7) doesn't contain any music, it contains plenty of mystery — thanks to the ingenuity of Christie, and the formidable sleuthing of detective Hercule Poirot. Ken Ludwig adapted it for the stage; Casey Hushion will direct. Whodunits are having a vogue now, Hoebee believes.

"With the popularity of 'Knives Out' and 'Death on the Nile,' it's in the zeitgeist," he said.

'Rent'

Jonathan Larson.

Finally, there is "Rent" (May 31 – June 25), Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical that transposes "La Bohème" to lower Manhattan, as aspiring young artists struggle with poverty, AIDS and affairs of the heart in the shadow of death. "Seasons of Love" is the keynote song in this Tony and Pulitzer-winning show, which became a sensation after it opened in 1996, the year of Larson's own death (he died on the day of the first off-Broadway preview). Zi Alikhan directs.

" 'Rent' was a phenomenon when it came out," Hoebee said. "Now look where we are. So many of the themes about reevaluating what is important in your life, and what gets you through harrowing times, is so current."

Call (973) 376-4343, or visit papermill.org

Jim Beckerman is an entertainment and culture reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to his insightful reports about how you spend your leisure time, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: beckerman@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @jimbeckerman1