The Hunchback of Notre Dame is produced in association with La Jolla Playhouse (Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director/Michael Rosenberg, Managing Director) by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Group. The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse is sponsored by Bank of America. Paper Mill Playhouse's 2014-2015 Season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a dramatic retelling of the famous love story on a grand scale, with a lush, emotionally rich score. The musical features a score by Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin). This new production is the only stage collaboration between these two giants of the American musical theater.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Performance schedule: Wednesday at 7:00pm, Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm, Friday at 7:00pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale now and range from $28 to $99. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.PaperMill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of 10 or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680. College students can order $20 rush tickets over the phone or in person at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office on the day of the performance.
“We’re thrilled to present the U.S. premiere of this epic musical with the support once again of Disney Theatrical Productions,” commented Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director for the Millburn theater. “The score and the cast are magnificent and our audiences will get to experience an unprecedented 50 voices singing this beautiful music. We are excited to welcome two musical theater legends back to Paper Mill Playhouse, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.”
Michael Arden (Quasimodo) appeared in the Broadway companies of The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Big River. Mr. Arden was seen off-Broadway in Bare, Swimming in the Shallows and It’s Only Life. Some of Arden’s television credits include Nurse Jackie, Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife, Anger Management, Kings, The Closer and more.
Patrick Page (Dom Claude Frollo) was seen on Broadway in Casa Valentina, A Time to Kill, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Man for All Seasons, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Lion King, Julius Caesar and more. Mr. Page appeared in Carnegie Hall’s concert performance of The Sound of Music. Some of Page’s television credits include The Good Wife, Law and Order: SVU, One Life to Live and All My Children.
Ciara Renée (Esmeralda) starred as The Leading Player in the recent Broadway revival of Pippin. On Broadway, Renée also appeared in Big Fish. Ms. Renée was seen in productions of Sondheim on Sondheim, Dreamgirls, Carousel and Passing Strange among others.
Andrew Samonsky (Captain Phoebus de Martin) was seen on Broadway in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Scandalous and South Pacific. Mr. Samonsky appeared in the Encores! productions of Fiorello! and Merrily We Roll Along.
Erik Liberman (Clopin Trouillefou), a resident of Hoboken, was in the Broadway production of Lovemusik. He appeared off-Broadway in Dani Girl, For Elise, Minnie’s Boys, Most Ridiculous Thing You Ever Hoid and Mabou Mines Dollhouse.
Rounding out the ensemble are: Julian Decker, Mary Joe Duggan, Ian Patrick Gibb, Beth Kirkpatrick, Samantha Massell, Neal Mayer, Nora Menken, William Michals, Anise Ritchie, Vincent Rodriguez III, Richard Ruiz, Joseph J. Simeone, Jeremy Stolle and Dashaun Young.
At each performance, 32 local choir members from the Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus will serve as the onstage choral ensemble. Supporting music education and musicians, Continuo Arts offers New Jersey’s most comprehensive intergenerational choral program inclusive of children through senior citizens to professionals. The Continuo Arts Symphonic Chorus is under the direction of Candace Wicke, DMA, Founder, President & Executive Director.
Alan Menken (Music) composed the stage and film musicals Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Aladdin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His other stage musicals include A Christmas Carol, Sister Act and Leap of Faith. His film musicals also include Life With Mikey, Pocahontas, Hercules, The Shaggy Dog, Enchanted, Tangled and Mirror, Mirror. Some of Mr. Menken’s television credits include the ABC-TV musical series Galavant, an episode from The Neighbors, Lincoln (miniseries) and Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. Mr. Menken has garnered eight Oscars (with 19 nominations), 11 Grammys (including Song of the Year), seven Golden Globes, the Tony (plus three nominations), the Olivier, the New York Drama Critics Award, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Stephen Schwartz (Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for Wicked and Pippin and contributed music and/or lyrics to Godspell, The Magic Show, The Baker’s Wife, Rags and Children of Eden. Mr. Schwartz’s film credits include Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted (all in collaboration with Alan Menken) and DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt. Mr. Schwartz is the President of the Dramatists Guild of America and Artistic Director of ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshops. Mr. Schwartz’s awards and honors include the Theater Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards and four Drama Desk Awards.
Peter Parnell (Book) wrote the new book for the 2011 Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Mr. Parnell’s plays include Trumpery, QED starring Alan Alda, a two-part adaptation of John Irving’s The Cider House Rules (American Theatre Critics Association Award), Sorrows of Stephen, The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket, Romance Language, Hyde in Hollywood, Flaubert’s Latest and An Imaginary Life. Mr. Parnell served as a co-producer for The West Wing (two Emmy citations) and a producer for The Guardian, Inconceivable, Six Degrees, and The Lottery.
Scott Schwartz (Director) returns to Paper Mill Playhouse, where he directed the critically acclaimed production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. On Broadway, Mr. Schwartz directed Golda’s Balcony and co-directed Jane Eyre. His off-Broadway work includes Murder for Two, Bat Boy (Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Awards, Drama Desk Award nomination), Tick, Tick…Boom! (Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk nomination), The Foreigner, Rooms, Kafka’s The Castle and No Way to Treat a Lady. Mr. Schwartz is the Artistic Director of Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York.
Chase Brock (Choreographer) choreographed the Broadway productions of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Picnic. Mr. Brock’s off-Broadway work includes Irma La Douce, The Cradle Will Rock, Lost in the Stars, The Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, Venice, The Blue Flower and more. His television work includes The Late Show with David Letterman and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is founder and artistic director of the contemporary dance company The Chase Brock Experience.
Michael Kosarin (Music Supervisor, Vocal & Incidental Music Arranger) has worked as a music director, arranger, and conductor on many Broadway shows including Nine, Grand Hotel, Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Leap of Faith, Sister Act, Newsies, Aladdin and more. His film work includes Pocahontas, Hercules, Enchanted, Tangled, Manchurian Candidate, Captain America and more. Mr. Kosarin worked on television productions of A Christmas Carol (Emmy Award, Outstanding Music Direction), Once Upon a Mattress, The Music Man (Emmy nomination), Galavant and more.
Brent-Alan Huffman (Music Director & Conductor) served as musical director for the Broadway productions of Sister Act and Leap of Faith. On Broadway Mr. Huffman also served as the assistant conductor for Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. He conducted the tours of Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors.
Michael Starobin (Orchestrations) provided orchestrations for many Broadway shows including If/Then, Annie, Sondheim on Sondheim, Next to Normal (Tony Award), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Assassins (Tony Award), Guys and Dolls, Falsettos, Sunday in the Park with George, Once on This Island and more. His film work includes The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Life with Mikey, Home on the Range, Tangled and Lucky Stiff.
Rob Berman (Dance Music Arranger) is music director of New York City Center Encores!, for which he has conducted 18 productions including Anyone Can Whistle, Merrily We Roll Along, and The Most Happy Fella. Mr. Berman’s Broadway credits as conductor include Wonderful Town, The Pajama Game, White Christmas, Finian’s Rainbow, The Apple Tree, and Promises, Promises, as well as ten original cast recordings. Mr. Berman has been nominated for five Emmy Awards for the Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), winning in 2012 for Outstanding Music Direction, and he music directed A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House for PBS.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame design team includes:
Alexander Dodge (Scenic Design) returns to Paper Mill Playhouse after designing sets for Master Class and The Importance of Being Earnest. Dodge’s Broadway credits include A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), Present Laughter (Tony nomination), Old Acquaintance, Butley and Hedda Gabler.
Alejo Vietti (Costume Design) designed costumes for the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. At Paper Mill Playhouse Vietti designed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 1776 and Damn Yankees.
Howell Binkley (Lighting Design) won the 2006 Tony Award for best lighting design of a musical for his work on Jersey Boys. Mr. Binkley served as lighting designer for many Broadway shows including Honeymoon in Vegas, After Midnight, Lombardi, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, In the Heights, Avenue Q and more.
Gareth Owen (Sound Design) received an Olivier Award for Merrily We Roll Along, a Tony Award nomination for A Little Night Music and End of the Rainbow and Olivier nominations for Top Hat and End of the Rainbow. Mr. Owen designed more than 250 commercial musicals including worldwide productions of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Hairspray, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Singin’ in the Rain and more.
Charles LaPointe (Hair & Wig Design) designed hair and wigs for many Broadway shows including Of Mice and Men, Violet, Side Show, Honeymoon in Vegas, The Elephant Man, The Apple Tree, After Midnight, Beautiful, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Soul Doctor, Motown, Jekyll & Hyde, Clybourne Park, Newsies and more.
Steve Rankin (Fight Director) provided fight direction for many Broadway shows including Memphis, Jersey Boys, Bonnie and Clyde, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Henry IV, Guys and Dolls, The Who’s Tommy and more.
Tara Rubin Casting (Casting) is a leading New York casting firm whose Broadway credits include the upcoming Gigi, It Shoulda Been You, Dr. Zhivago, and School of Rock as well as Aladdin, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia among others. Regional credits include Yale Repertory, Westport Country Playhouse, Bucks County Playhouse and many others.
The Production Stage Manager is M. William Shiner.
