![Paper Mill Playhouse Presents "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2019/Cinderella.jpg "Paper Mill Playhouse Presents "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"")
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, new book by Douglas Carter Beane, and original book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The productions runs from Wednesday, November 20, 2019 through Sunday, December 29, 2019. Directed by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill’s Beauty and the Beast), the cast features a mix of Broadway veterans and a few actors previously seen on the Paper Mill stage.
This enchanting, Tony-nominated Broadway adaptation of the beloved musical will put a spell on audiences of all ages. Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella showcases some of the songwriting duo’s loveliest tunes, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” as well as some new characters and surprising twists. Add a dash of fairytale romance, magical onstage transformations, and the iconic pumpkin and glass slippers—and you’re guaranteed to have a ball!
![Paper Mill Playhouse Presents "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2019/AshleyB.jpg "Paper Mill Playhouse Presents "Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella"")
The production features choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Paper Mill’s Annie), and music direction by Michael Borth (Paper Mill’s Beauty and the Beast), the principal cast will feature Ashley Blanchet (Frozen) as Ella, Donna English (Paper Mill’s Lend Me a Tenor) as Marie, Rose Hemingway (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) as Gabrielle, Dee Hoty (Paper Mill’s Follies) as Madame, Andrew Kober (Beautiful) as Jean-Michel, Angel Lin (Once) as Charlotte, Christopher Sieber (The Prom, Paper Mill’s Annie) as Sebastian, Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin) as Topher, and Michael Wayne Wordly (Miss Saigon) as Lord Pinkleton.
Rounding out the cast are John Barsoian, Kelly Berman, Antonio Beverly, Erin Burniston, Monica Cioffi, Taeler Cyrus, Richard Gatta, Ricky Loftus George, Christopher M. Howard, Derek Luscutoff, Kate Marilley, John Peterson, Dave Schoonover, Cynthia Thorne, Leslie Blake Walker, Isabella Ward, CorBen Williams and Minami Yusui.
The production team includes scenic design by Anna Louizos, costume design by William Ivey Long, costume coordination by Tom Beall, lighting design by Charlie Morrison, sound design by Matt Kraus and hair and wig design by Paul Huntley. The Production Stage Manager is Andrea Cibelli. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Lauren Harris, CSA.
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be performed at Paper Mill Playhouse eight times a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Check Paper Mill Playhouse’s website at www.PaperMill.org for special holiday performance schedules. Performance schedule November 20 – 24: Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm, Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Performance schedule November 27 – December 29: Wednesdays at 7:00pm, Thursdays at 1:30pm and 7:00pm, Fridays at 7:00pm, Saturdays at 1:30pm and 7:00pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm. Tickets start at $32 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 www.PaperMill.org.
MEET THE COMPANY
ASHLEY BLANCHET (Ella). Paper Mill: Ever After; Broadway: Frozen (Elsa u/s), Beautiful (Little Eva/“The Locomotion”), Annie (Star to Be), Memphis (Felicia u/s). National Tour: Beautiful. Select Regional: Oklahoma!(Ado Annie, PCLO), How to Succeed… (Rosemary, TUTS), A Chorus Line (Diana, WVPT). Ashley received her BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan, where she became the first recipient of the Kurt Weill Award for Excellence in Theatre. She is also a proud alum of the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA.
DONNA ENGLISH (Marie) has been featured in ten productions at Paper Mill including Lend Me a Tenor (Diana), The Sound of Music (Elsa), High School Musical (Ms. Darbus), Hairspray (Velma), Harold and Maude (Mrs. Chasen) and Beauty and the Beast (Madame de la Grande Bouche). Broadway: Living on Love, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Lend Me a Tenor. Off Broadway: Madame X (NYMF Outstanding Performance Award), Christmas in Hell, Taking a Chance on Love, Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back!, and Ruthless! (Drama Desk nomination). National Tour: Genie Klein in Beautiful. Donna’s extensive regional credits include principal roles at Long Wharf, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Goodspeed Musicals, and 5th Avenue. She is a proud recipient of the 2019 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship.
ROSE HEMINGWAY (Gabrielle) is so pleased to be making her Paper Mill debut. Some past favorite roles include: Broadway: Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; National Tours: Lauren in Kinky Boots, Sophie in Mamma Mia!; Regional: Misty Mae in Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical (Dallas Theater Center), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (North Shore Music Theatre), Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher (Weston Playhouse), Hazel in Time and the Conways (The Old Globe), and Mary Phagan in Parade (Mark Taper Forum). TV: Blue Bloods, The Mob Doctor.
DEE HOTY (Madame). Paper Mill: Follies (Phyllis, 1998). Most recently created the role of Mary Cassatt in Susan Stroman’s Marie. Fourteen Broadway shows and counting—most recently Bright Star and Gigi as well as Footloose (Tony nomination), The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (Tony nomination), The Will Rogers Follies (Tony nomination), and City of Angels. TV/Film: Dickinson (Apple TV), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Sinner, Elementary, Smash, Law & Order(s), IED (indie), The Chaperone (Julian Fellowes, 2019). BA from Otterbein, Honorary Doctor of Arts, 1997. A proud member of AEA since 1976, Dee was elected to Council in 2018.
ANDREW KOBER (Jean-Michel). Broadway: Beautiful, School of Rock, Sunday in the Park with George, She Loves Me, Les Misérables, Hair. National Tour: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off Broadway and regional: Roundabout Theatre Company, The Public Theater, MCC, New York Theatre Workshop, The Old Globe, Yale Rep, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Bucks County Playhouse, Denver Center Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, and four summers at Shakespeare in the Park. TV: Fosse/Verdon (FX Network), Ray Donovan (Showtime), House of Cards (Netflix), Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Blue Bloods (CBS), Pan Am (ABC), The Plot Against America (HBO).
ANGEL LIN (Charlotte). National Tour: Once (Emcee, u/s Girl), Kansas City Choir Boy (by Todd Almond, starring Courtney Love, ART/CTG). NYC/Regional: 1969: Second Man (NYTW), Interstate (NYMF), The Other Josh Cohen (Geva Theatre, dir. Hunter Foster), Once (Paramount Theatre), The Wolves (TheatreSquared), Stinky Cheese Man… (Atlantic, dir. Liz Swados), and the title role in the musical/band Riot Antigone on their upcoming album. Workshops/Readings/Concerts: Sing Street (NYTW, assistant MD), KPOP (Ars Nova), Joe’s Pub, Musical Theater Factory, McKittrick Hotel, among others. Voiceover: Pinkalicious (PBS), DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Rockstar Games. BFA, NYU Tisch (Playwrights Horizons Theater School).
CHRISTOPHER SIEBER (Sebastian). Paper Mill: Paper Moon, South Pacific, Peter Pan, Hairspray, and Annie! Broadway: The Prom, Matilda, Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Shrek (Tony nomination), Spamalot (Tony nomination), Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, Triumph of Love, A Christmas Carol. Off Broadway: The Kid, The Boys in the Band. TV: Two of a Kind, It’s All Relative, Ed, Law & Order: SVU, Elementary, The Good Wife, lots of daytime television.
BILLY HARRIGAN TIGHE (Topher). Paper Mill debut! Broadway: Pippin. West End: The Book of Mormon (Elder Price). Off Broadway: Sweeney Todd (Anthony). National Tours: Finding Neverland (J. M. Barrie), The Book of Mormon (Elder Price), Wicked (Fiyero), La Cage aux Folles (Jean-Michel), Dirty Dancing. Favorite regional: Cabaret (Cliff, Ogunquit Playhouse), Back Home Again (Ben, Lesher Center), Hairspray (Link, Marriott Theatre), Happy Days (Potsie, Goodspeed Opera House). Billy has also performed as a guest soloist with symphonies across the country and internationally. Training: CCM BFA, CCCEPA graduate.
MICHAEL WAYNE WORDLY (Lord Pinkleton). Paper Mill Playhouse debut! National Tours: Miss Saigon (revival), The Color Purple (revival), The Little Mermaid (5th Avenue Theatre/national tour). Off Broadway: Spamilton. Regional: Memphis (Henry Award winner), Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and Hairspray.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
MARK S. HOEBEE (Director, Producing Artistic Director) joined the artistic team at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2000. Under his leadership, Paper Mill was presented with the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2016 and in recent years launched such noteworthy projects as the world premieres of Newsies, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Group, Honeymoon in Vegas, Ever After, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Honeymooners, My Very Own British Invasion, nd The Sting starring Harry Connick, Jr., as well as the American premieres of the 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables, working alongside Cameron Mackintosh, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the national tour of The Bodyguard starring Deborah Cox. On Broadway, Mark directed the Actors Fund benefit of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Jennifer Hudson. He has directed national tours of Victor/Victoria starring Toni Tennille, Dreamgirls, Company, and An Evening of Lerner and Loewe starring Diahann Carroll. His directing credits at Paper Mill include West Side Story; Beauty and the Beast; Annie; Mary Poppins; Dreamgirls; Hello, Dolly! starring Tovah Feldshuh; Harold and Maude: The Musical with Estelle Parsons; The Will Rogers Follies starring John Davidson; Meet Me in St. Louis; The King and I; Miss Saigon; Disney’s High School Musical; Peter Pan; Smokey Joe’s Cafe; Oliver!; Damn Yankees; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Curtains; and The Full Monty starring Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. He resides in Glen Ridge with his partner Larry Elardo, Broadcast Coordinating Producer for the CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning, and their children, Stephen and Ashley.
JOANN M. HUNTER (Choreographer) is always honored to be back at Paper Mill. She has 20 Broadway shows to her credit as choreographer, associate choreographer, and performer. Choreography includes Broadway: School of Rock (also national tour, West End), Disaster, On a Clear Day…, Broadway Bound. Off Broadway: Rock and Roll Refugee, Dedalus Lounge, The Twelve (workshop). Regional: Ever After (Alliance); world premiere of Beatsville (Asolo); A Sign of the Times by Bruce Vilanch (Goodspeed); Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman (Ahmanson); world premiere of The Nutty Professor directed by Jerry Lewis; Annie, Grease, Oliver!, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and Curtains at Paper Mill. National Tour: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. She directed and choreographed Debra Monk’s Birthday Bash for BC/EFA. Upcoming: Unmasked at Paper Mill, Love Life Off Broadway.
MICHAEL BORTH (Music Director). Paper Mill: Beauty and the Beast. National Tours: Beauty and the Beast (international), The Phantom of the Opera, Man of La Mancha, 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, The Will Rogers Follies, Flashdance, The King and I. Orchestrator and conductor of the original Off Broadway run of The Marvelous Wonderettes, and arranger and orchestrator of its sequels, Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns and Wonderettes: Dream On. Over 50 regional credits including Reprise, Sacramento Music Circus, Musical Theatre West, Music Theatre Wichita, Ogunquit Playhouse, and Pasadena Playhouse. Musical director of the NYC concert and cast recording of Ryan Scott Oliver’s 35mm.
RICHARD RODGERS (Music) & OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II (Lyrics, Original Book). After long and highly distinguished careers with other collaborators, Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) joined forces in 1943 to create the most consistently fruitful and successful partnership in American musical theater. Oklahoma!, the first Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, was the first of a new genre—the musical play, blending Rodgers’ sophisticated style of musical comedy with Hammerstein’s innovations in operetta. Oklahoma! was followed by Carousel (1945), Allegro (1947), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Me and Juliet (1953), Pipe Dream (1955), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). The team also wrote one movie musical, State Fair (1945, adapted to the stage in 1995), and one for television, Cinderella (1957, remade in 1965 and 1997, and mounted on Broadway in 2013). Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musicals have earned 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and two Grammy Awards.
DOUGLAS CARTER BEANE (Book). Musicals: The Band Wagon (Encores!), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Sister Act (Tony nomination), Xanadu (Tony nomination; Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle awards). Plays: Shows for Days, The Nance, The Little Dog Laughed (Tony, Olivier nominations; GLAAD Media Award), Mr. & Mrs. Fitch, As Bees in Honey Drown (Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Playwriting Award), Advice from a Caterpillar, The Country Club, Music from a Sparkling Planet, The Cartells. Revues: White Lies; The Late, Late Show; Mondo Drama. Opera: Die Fledermaus (Met debut). Screenplays: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar; Advice from a Caterpillar (Best Feature, Aspen Comedy Festival). Dramatists Guild, Playwrights Walk of Fame.
ANNA LOUIZOS (Scenic Design) is a three-time Tony Award nominee for In the Heights, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and High Fidelity. For Paper Mill: The Baker’s Wife, 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, and Honeymoon in Vegas. Other Broadway designs: School of Rock (sets and costumes), Holiday Inn, Dames at Sea, Honeymoon in Vegas, It Shoulda Been You, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Avenue Q, The Performers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Curtains, Baby It’s You!, To Be or Not to Be, All About Me, Steel Magnolias, Golda’s Balcony.
WILLIAM IVEY LONG (Costume Design). Select Broadway: Tootsie, Beetlejuice, A Bronx Tale, Chicago, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Cabaret (2014 and 1998 revivals), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bullets Over Broadway, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway, Grey Gardens, The Boy from Oz, Hairspray, The Music Man, The Producers, Crazy for You, Guys and Dolls, Nine. Mr. Long has been nominated for 17 Tony Awards, winning six times. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2005 and elected chairman of the American Theatre Wing in June 2012. Previously at Paper Mill: A Bronx Tale, The Producers. Upcoming on Broadway: Diana.
CHARLIE MORRISON (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Elf, Grease, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Hello, Dolly!. National/International Tours: The Little Mermaid; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; The Producers; Hello, Dolly!; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Miss Saigon; Aida; Man of La Mancha; Guys and Dolls; Groovaloo; My Fair Lady; The King and I; 42nd Street; The Who’s Tommy; and many others. Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Guthrie, Goodspeed, Seattle Rep, Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, 5th Avenue, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, George Street Playhouse, PlayMakers Rep, Tulsa Opera, and more. Two Helen Hayes Awards (seven nominations).
MATT KRAUS (Sound Design). Broadway: Liza’s at the Palace…, Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off Broadway: Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, Forbidden Broadway, Voca People. Audio coordinator for remote shoots at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse (Chasing Rainbows, Beauty and the Beast, Holiday Inn, Lend Me a Tenor, Newsies), St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street, and more. Matt has also played the Hollywood Bowl, Hampton Court Palace, Olympia in Paris, Sydney Opera House, Monte Carlo Sporting Club, and Vienna State Opera House. He won an Emmy for his work on Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall.
PAUL HUNTLEY (Hair & Wig Design). London-born Paul Huntley has worked on hundreds of Broadway shows since his 1972 arrival in New York, most memorably the original productions of Amadeus, Cats, Evita, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, The Producers, and Hairspray. A recipient of the Drama Desk and Tony Awards, he also has worked with the some of the most legendary leading ladies of the cinema, ranging from Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, and Vivien Leigh to Jane Fonda, Glenn Close, Jessica Lange, and Scarlett Johansson. Currently on Broadway: Tootsie. Previously at Paper Mill: A Bronx Tale and The Producers.
TELSEY + COMPANY (Casting). Broadway/Tours: West Side Story, Tina, The Sound Inside, Linda Vista, Freestyle Love Supreme, Beetlejuice, Oklahoma!, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mean Girls, Frozen, Come From Away, Waitress, Hamilton, Wicked, My Fair Lady, Once on This Island, Hello, Dolly!, Anastasia. Off Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, MCC Theater, New Group, Park Avenue Armory, Second Stage Theatre. Film: The Kitchen, Mary Poppins Returns, Ben Is Back, The Greatest Showman, Into the Woods, Rachel Getting Married. TV: Tales of the City, Fosse/Verdon, NOS4A2, This Is Us, NCIS: New Orleans, One Day at a Time, Rent, commercials.
ANDREA CIBELLI (Production Stage Manager). Paper Mill: World premieres of A Bronx Tale, The Bandstand, and Honeymoon in Vegas, as well as Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, Steel Magnolias, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Nutcracker, and New Voices 2013–2019. Broadway: A Bronx Tale, Head Over Heels, Honeymoon in Vegas. Tours: West Side Story, Spring Awakening. International: West Side Story (Japan), Race for Love (China). Regional: Dreamgirls (TOTS), The Little Mermaid (DSM). Other credits include Monkey: Journey to the West, The Mile-Long Opera, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Princeton University Dance Department, and Lincoln Center Festival.
ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCES FOR RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA
Paper Mill Playhouse, a leader in accessibility, will offer audio-described performances for Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at 1:30pm and Sunday, December 15, 2019, at 1:30pm. Prior to these performances at noon, the theater will offer free sensory seminars. Sensory seminars offer an opportunity for patrons with vision loss to hear a live, in-depth description of the production elements of the show and hands-on interaction with key sets, props, and costumes. There will be a sign-interpreted and open-captioned performance on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at 7:00pm.
Paper Mill Playhouse will also present an autism-friendly performance of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella on Wednesday, December 26, at 1:30pm. This performance is designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum or with other developmental disabilities, and is planned in cooperation with Paper Mill Playhouse’s Autism Advisory Team. The theater environment will be altered for this performance, providing a sensory-friendly, comfortable and judgment-free space that is welcoming to all families. The performance itself will be adjusted with special attention paid to lighting and sound. For tickets to this special performance, please call the Paper Mill Playhouse box office at 973-376-4343 or visit www.PaperMill.org/autism.
Major sponsors for Paper Mill Playhouse’s autism-friendly performance of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella are The Goren Family & the Harmony Helper App and Merck.
Major funding for autism-friendly programs is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Wells Fargo.
Additional support includes Autism Speaks, BD, The Thomas & Agnes Carvel Foundation, The Karma Foundation, Merck, MetLife Foundation, Nordstrom and Summit Area Public Foundation.
Paper Mill Playhouse will once again, be a collection point for this year’s Jersey Cares Coat Drive during the run of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. For the past 23 years, The Jersey Cares Coat Drive has mobilized the collection and distribution of thousands of "gently used" winter coats to men, women, children, and infants in need. Last year, Jersey Cares collected more than 30,000 coats throughout the state of New Jersey. Paper Mill Playhouse has been a collection partner for more than a decade and will be collecting gently used winter coats from November 1 through December 29, 2019. Collection of coats will take place in the lobby at Paper Mill Playhouse, 22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ.
FREE AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES FOR RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA
CONVERSATION CLUB: Join us Thursday evenings, November 21, December 5, 12, and 19 one hour before curtain for an informal, informative gathering. You'll learn more about the performance you're about to see.
THE DIRECTOR'S VIEWPOINT: One hour before curtain on Wednesday, November 20, a pre-show discussion with the show’s director in the Renee Foosaner Art Gallery.
Q&A WITH THE CAST: After the matinee on Saturday, December 14 stick around for a lively Q&A with cast members directly following the performance.
Paper Mill Playhouse Education & Outreach are proudly sponsored by The Goren Family & the Harmony Helper App.
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director), recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is one of the country's leading regional theaters. 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.
