(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Jersey Boys, the first show of Paper Mill's 2024-2025 season. Directed by Michael Bello (We Are the Tigers, associate director of The Who's Tommy and Jersey Boys UK/US tours and off-Broadway), Jersey Boys begins performances on Wednesday, October 2 ahead of a Sunday, October 6 opening night. The run continues through Sunday, November 3, 2024 at Paper Mill Playhouse.
With phenomenal music, memorable characters, and great storytelling, Jersey Boys follows the fascinating evolution of four blue-collar kids who became one of the greatest successes in pop-music history. This Tony Award–winning Best Musical takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons to discover the secret of a 40-year friendship as the foursome work their way from the streets of New Jersey to the heights of stardom. Witness electrifying performances of chart-topping hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Dawn,” and “My Eyes Adored You.”
The cast includes Daniel Quadrino (Newsies The Musical) as Frankie Valli, Ben Diamond (Newsies The Musical at TUTS) as Bob Gaudio, Robert Lenzi (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) as Nick Massi, Jake Bentley Young (The Karate Kid) as Tommy DeVito, Nick Duckart (Come From Away national tour) as Gyp DeCarlo, and Jeremy Gaston (Aladdin) as Bob Crewe, with Amber Ardolino, Kelly Belarmino, Holli' Conway, Hugh Entrekin, Kaitlyn Frank, Nathan Lucrezio, Andrew Martin Maguire, Jarran Muse, Tyler Okunski, and Reagan Pender.
Cast photo from the first day of rehearsal, photo by Billy Swann
“It’s incredibly fitting to kick off our 86th season with this newly reimagined version of a true Jersey story,” said Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse. “To our great pride, our ‘four guys under a street lamp’ will be the first homegrown Jersey Boys production in the state of New Jersey. Oh, what a night it will be!”
The creative team includes Kyli Rae (choreographer), Geoffrey Ko (music director), Kelly James Tighe (scenic design), Julie Thiry (costume design), Paige Seber (lighting design), Megumi Katayama (sound design), Ashley Rae Callahan (hair & wig design), Michael Rossmy (fight & intimacy direction), Tara Rubin Casting, and Anna Belle Gilbert (production stage manager). Jersey Boys set and props provided by The REV Theatre Company, Auburn, NY. Original scenic design by Marshall Pope & Chad Healy.
Suzanne Engel is the Marquee Sponsor of Jersey Boys. The GenWealth Group is the Opening Night Sponsor.
ACCESSIBILITY: AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Sunday, October 27 at 1:30pm and Saturday, November 2 at 1:30pm.
OPEN-CAPTIONED & ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, November 2 at 1:30pm and Sunday, November 3 at 7:00pm.
Tickets are available for purchase online. Paper Mill Playhouse is located at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, New Jersey.
Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 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 (Executive 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 The Great Gatsby, Disney’s Newsies, Bandstand, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Les Misérables (25th Anniversary production).
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. 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.
BIOGRAPHIES
BEN DIAMOND (Bob Gaudio) is thrilled to be making his Paper Mill debut as this iconic music maker! Although he originally hails from San Francisco, he became an honorary Jersey boy after graduating from college in the Garden State. Recent credits: Davey in Newsies (TUTS) and Sky in Mamma Mia! (Great Lakes CFA). Instagram: @boondoomond
ROBERT LENZI (Nick Massi). Broadway: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Miles Tuck in Tuck Everlasting, South Pacific. Off Broadway: Dogfight, Hello Again. Regional credits include The Sound of Music (Ogunquit Playhouse), Cyrano de Bergerac (Guthrie Theater), Soul (Baltimore Center Stage), Assassins (Yale Rep), A Sign of the Times (Goodspeed), Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Film: Park Avenue with Fiona Shaw (upcoming), The Last Airbender, Sex and the City 2, The Happening, The Village. TV: “Monsterland,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “The Good Fight,” “Deception,” “Blue Bloods,” “Clubhouse.” BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University. @bob.lenzi
DANIEL QUADRINO (Frankie Valli) is so excited to be making his Paper Mill debut in such an iconic show. Earlier this year, Daniel appeared in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of The Who’s Tommy, direct from the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Other Broadway credits include Wicked, Newsies, and Bye Bye Birdie. National Tours: Waitress (Ogie), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mike Teevee). Off Broadway: Fowl Play (Archie). Regional: La Jolla Playhouse, PCLO, The Muny. Television: NBC’s Peter Pan Live!. @dannyquadrino
JAKE BENTLEY YOUNG (Tommy DeVito) is an actor and artist originally from Sacramento, CA, and he’s thrilled to be making his Paper Mill Playhouse debut with Jersey Boys. He was recently seen in the pre-Broadway engagement of The Karate Kid as Johnny Lawerence. Other regional credits include Rent at Sacramento Music Circus, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at North Shore Music Theatre, Newsies at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, and Mystic Pizza at the John W. Engeman Theatre. BFA, Texas State University. @jakebentleyyoung
NICK DUCKART (Gyp DeCarlo) is thrilled to be making his Paper Mill Playhouse debut! Favorite theater credits include Come From Away (first national tour original cast), In the Heights, Evita, Camelot, and others. TV credits: “The Blacklist” and “Burn Notice.” His favorite credit, though, is being Maia and Lucy’s dad, Mariand’s husband, and Angel and Angela’s son.
JEREMY GASTON (Bob Crewe). Broadway: Aladdin (Genie standby). TV: “Law & Order” (NBC). National/International Tours: Aladdin (Genie standby), The Book of Mormon (second national, ensemble), Motown (second national, Berry Gordy/Stevie Wonder u/s), Sister Act (first national, Eddie/TJ u/s), Shrek (Donkey), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Victor u/s), Jesus Christ Superstar (Priest u/s), Sunfish (Monk). Regional: The Little Mermaid (Sebastian, Gateway), Jersey Boys (Barry Belson, Maine State), 9 to 5 (Dick, NC Theatre), A Sign of the Times (Jamie, Goodspeed), Rent (Benny, Surflight). Instagram: @JeremyAllynGaston
MICHAEL BELLO (Director) is a Cuban-American director of musical theater and native Jersey boy. He is honored to be returning to Paper Mill, where he was a student in New Voices. He has directed several world premieres including Letters to the President (Goodspeed, The Great Hall at Cooper Union) and We Are the Tigers (Off Broadway). Select associate director credits alongside Tony Award winner Des McAnuff include The Who’s Tommy (Broadway revival), Jersey Boys (UK/US tours, Off Broadway, and upcoming live capture starring Nick Jonas), and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Broadway, La Jolla Playhouse, first national tour). BFA, Emerson College.
KYLI RAE (Choreographer) is thrilled to be making her Paper Mill debut! Ms. Rae’s body of work can be seen from stage to screen. She most recently directed and choreographed Little Shop of Horrors at the Garden Theatre. Kyli has choreographed shows such as Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and The Prom regionally, and she has served as an associate director/choreographer for Norwegian Cruise Line for years. She sings “My Boyfriend’s Back” in the film adaptation of Jersey Boys, directed by Clint Eastwood. Broadway/National Tours: Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages, Summer, A Bronx Tale, Flashdance, Mamma Mia!, Grease, Fame. Instagram: @kyliraeLA
GEOFFREY KO (Music Director) is a music director, orchestrator, and arranger. Broadway: The Notebook, Be More Chill. Off Braodway: Broadway Bounty Hunter, Baby (new orchestrations), Generation Me, Renascence. Previous Paper Mill credits include Disney’s A Jolly Holiday and The Honeymooners. World premieres at Paper Mill Playhouse, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Two River Theater, Williamstown, Ogunquit Playhouse, TPAC, Argyle Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse, and the Marriott Theatre. Other work: Ride (West End), Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, the Jimmy Awards, and Disney on Broadway concerts. Geoffrey is a New Jersey native and graduate of Northwestern University. @geoffreyhko
KELLY JAMES TIGHE (Scenic Design). National tours/Off Broadway credits include The Cher Show, Martin Luther on Trial, The Most Reluctant Convert, The Fantasticks, The Great Divorce, Movin’ Out, Cats, Shear Madness, Shadowlands, Almost Heaven. Paper Mill designs include A Jolly Holiday, Songs for a New World, Pete ’n’ Keely, Beehive, Beauty and the Beast, and more. Kelly’s work has been seen at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, TUTS, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Center Repertory Co., Slow Burn Theatre, Woodloch Pines Resort, and others. Awards and recognitions: Drama-Logue, SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Dean Goodman Critic’s Choice, SF Bay Shellie Award. Online at KJTdesign.com, Instagram: @kellyjtighe
JULIE THIRY (Costume Design). In addition to designer, Julie is a wardrobe supervisor and dresser on and Off Broadway. Recent productions include Macbeth starring Daniel Craig and multiple-Tony Award-winning Leopoldstadt. Her recent design work is being showcased in Jersey Boys at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. She is excited to be showcasing her new Jersey Boys design here in this innovative production! Julie is also an adjunct professor of wardrobe studies at Montclair State University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She resides in Bergen County, New Jersey.
PAIGE SEBER (Lighting Design) is thrilled to make her lighting design debut at Paper Mill Playhouse with Jersey Boys. She previously served as assistant lighting designer for Chasing Rainbows at Paper Mill in 2019 and Holiday Inn in 2018. Notable Off Broadway credits include Titanique (Daryl Roth Theatre), Is Anyone Alive Out There? (Audible Live, Minetta Lane), The Slow Dance (59E59), and Fowl Play (AMT Theater). Other credits include Cunnicularii (Good Apples Collective), Nine (Manhattan School of Music), and Wolf Play and Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Rec Room Arts). For more about her work, visit seberlighting.com.
MEGUMI KATAYAMA (Sound Design). Paper Mill debut! NYC/Off Broadway: Titanic, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Light in the Piazza, The Life (City Center Encores!); The Public Theater; Playwrights Horizons; LCT3; Minetta Lane; Little Island; NAATCO; New Victory; Rattlestick; NYTW Gala. Regional: Cambodian Rock Band (tour), Alley Theatre, Arena Stage, Alliance Theatre, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Geva Theatre Center, Two River, Long Wharf, Yale Rep, Studio Theatre, Everyman Theater, Woolly Mammoth, Cincinnati Playhouse, KC Rep, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Trinity Rep, Chautauqua Theater Company, Dorset Theater Festival, Zach, Skylight Music Theatre, Theatre Aspen, and more.
ASHLEY RAE CALLAHAN (Hair & Wig Design) (she/her) is an Emmy-nominated hairstylist. Her design work includes Ain’t Too Proud and Annie (national tours); Les Misérables, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd (Muny); Evita (A.R.T., Shakespeare Theatre Co., NY City Center) Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (New World Stages, Maltz Jupiter), and Once Upon a One More Time (STC). Broadway/TV associate designer credits: New York, New York; Beetlejuice; NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Summer, The Color Purple (revival), Holiday Inn, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. TV/film hairstyling: A Complete Unknown, Stranger Things, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Oppenheimer, The Gilded Age.
MICHAEL ROSSMY (Fight & Intimacy Direction). Paper Mill: Pirates!, Oliver!, A Comedy of Tenors. Broadway: A Tale of Two Cities. Off Broadway: Sally and Tom, White Noise; Measure for Measure, The Vagrant Trilogy, Troilus and Cressida (The Public Theater); What the End Will Be (Roundabout); Blues for an Alabama Sky, This Space Between Us (Keen Co.); Peerless, Harbour (Primary Stages). Regional: Yale Rep, Westport Country Playhouse, Asolo Rep, The Old Globe, TheaterWorks Hartford, Kansas City Rep, The Acting Company, Guthrie, Geffen Playhouse, and others. Other: Resident fight and intimacy director for Yale Rep, lecturer in Acting and Stage Management at Yale’s David Geffen School of Drama.
TARA RUBIN CASTING (Casting). Paper Mill: Gun & Powder, After Midnight, Rent, Hercules, Unmasked, Chasing Rainbows, The Sting, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Can-Can. Selected Broadway and national tours: Left on Tenth, The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Wiz, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy, Water for Elephants, Back to the Future, Here Lies Love, Bad Cinderella, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, KPOP, Mr. Saturday Night, Six, Ain’t Too Proud, The Band’s Visit, Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, Dear Evan Hansen, Cats, School of Rock, Aladdin, Billy Elliot, Spamalot, ...Spelling Bee, The Producers, Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera.
ANNA BELLE GILBERT (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be at Paper Mill for the first time! She has a long history with Jersey Boys and is excited to be back with it. Other than working on JB for over a decade, Anna Belle toured with The Light in the Piazza and spent many years working with CTG, the Pasadena and Geffen Playhouses in L.A.
