(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Disney's The Little Mermaid, from May 29 through June 29, 2025. The beloved musical is the final production of Paper Mill's 2024-2025 season. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater, and a book by Doug Wright, The Little Mermaid is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story and the Disney film produced by Howard Ashman & John Musker and written & directed by John Musker & Ron Clements.
The Little Mermaid is a Broadway spectacular for dreamers of all ages to enjoy. This fishy fable boasts such irresistible songs as “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl,” and the Academy Award–winning “Under the Sea". It’s a joyful blend of adventure, comedy, and a love story that the whole family will love — whether you’re reliving the magic or seeing it for the first time.
Directed and choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Bad Cinderella), the cast features Hillary Fisher (The Notebook) as Ariel, Haven Burton (Shrek The Musical, How to Dance in Ohio) as Ursula, Nick Cortazzo (Hadestown) as Jetsam, Mark Doyle (Moulin Rouge! The Musical First National Tour) as Prince Eric, Sean Patrick Doyle (Kinky Boots) as Flotsam, Jared Goldsmith (Dear Evan Hansen) as Scuttle, Christopher Gurr (Parade) as Grimsby, Aubrey Matalon (SIX: The Musical) as Flounder, Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots) as Sebastian, and Graham Rowat (Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia!) as King Triton. The ensemble features David Baida, Caleb Bermejo, Kelsey Myron Cauthen, Tzintli Cerda, Jonathan Duvelson, Caroline Kane, Alexandra Matteo, Michael Milkanin, Mia Nelson, Justin O’Brien, Charlie Ray, Lily Rose, Taylor Rosenberger, Kaitlyn Louise Smith, Richard Westfahl, and Peli Naomi Woods.
The creative team features original scenic design by Kenneth Foy with scenic coordination & additional design by Kelly James Tighe; original costume design by Amy Clark & Mark Koss with costume coordination & additional design by Leon Dobkowski; lighting design by Charlie Morrison; sound design by Matt Kraus; hair & wig design by Leah J. Loukas; music direction by Nate Patten; and flying sequence choreography by Paul Rubin. Casting is by The TRC Company. The production stage manager is Melissa Chacón. Scenery, props, and sea costumes were created by a partnership with Broadway Dallas, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Starlight Theatre, and Theatre Under The Stars.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
ACCESSIBILITY:
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Sunday, June 22 at 1:30pm and Saturday, June 28 at 1:30pm.
OPEN-CAPTIONED & ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, June 28 at 1:30pm and Sunday, June 29 at 7:00pm.
An AUTISM-FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE is scheduled for Saturday, June 21 at 1:30pm.
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 inVegas, 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.
Paper Mill’s upcoming 2025-2026 season will feature Bull Durham, Disney’s Frozen, Come From Away, 1776, and West Side Story.
BIOGRAPHIES:
HAVEN BURTON (Ursula) is thrilled to trade in her legs for tentacles, returning to Paper Mill Playhouse, where she previously appeared as Tara in Half Time. A proud NJ-based stage, screen, and voice actor, she’s delighted to be causing a tidal wave of trouble in her own backyard. Broadway credits include Rent (Maureen), Legally Blonde (Margot, Elle u/s), Violet (standby for Sutton Foster), Shrek (Gingy, Fiona), Kinky Boots (Lauren), and How to Dance in Ohio (Terry). Film/TV/VO: “High Maintenance,” “Elsbeth,” Pokémon (Serena), and more. A proud mom of three and advocate for the Autism and Down syndrome communities.
NICK CORTAZZO (Jetsam). Paper Mill debut! National Tours: Hadestown (first national), Hairspray (Link Larkin). Regional favorites: Mary Poppins (Bert standby, 5th Avenue Theatre), Grease (Danny Zuko, Fulton Theatre), Kinky Boots (Angel, Pittsburgh CLO), Sister Act (Kansas City Starlight), Joseph…Dreamcoat (Joseph, New London Barn Playhouse). Graduate of Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre. @ncortazzo
MARK DOYLE (Prince Eric) is thrilled to be making his Paper Mill Playhouse debut! Broadway: Moulin Rouge! National Tour: Moulin Rouge! Regional: The Sound of Music (The Cleveland Orchestra), Mamma Mia! (Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival), Ghost (Beck Center for the Arts), The Lightning Thief (Playhouse Square). Baldwin Wallace University, Musical Theatre ’23. @mark.c.doyle
SEAN PATRICK DOYLE (Flotsam). Paper Mill: Grease, The Little Mermaid. Broadway: Kinky Boots, La Cage Aux Folles. Off Broadway: Jerry Springer: The Opera, Volpone, Anna Nicole: The Opera, Wig Out! Tours: Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, Fame. Film: The Sitter, Barry, and the Oscar-nominated animated feature The Boxtrolls. TV: “Fosse/Verdon,” “Gotham,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Donny,” “Forever,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Law & Order,” “Mamma Dallas” (HBO pilot). Sean Patrick is a Lucille Lortel, MAC, Salt, and Carbonell nominee and a graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. www.seanpatrickdoyle.com, @seanpatrickdoyle_
HILLARY FISHER (Ariel). Broadway: The Notebook. Off-Broadway: Between the Lines, Cyrano (The New Group). Regional: Pamela’s First Musical (Two River Theater), Cinderella (Arvada Center), Little Shop of Horrors (The Fulton), Ragtime (Quisisana). Television: “The Chica Show” (Sprout). Hillary is also a director (Ars Nova), assistant director (National Black Theatre, NYU), model, and songwriter. Besides the arts, Hillary is passionate about making wellness accessible through tennis and Pilates. Pace University BFA, LaGuardia High School. Follow her @sochillary for more!
JARED GOLDSMITH (Scuttle). Paper Mill debut! Broadway/First National Tour: Dear Evan Hansen. Recently Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors (5-Star Theatricals, Thousand Oaks, California). TV/Film: Better Nate Than Ever (Disney+), “Snap” (AMC), “Blue’s Clues” (Nickelodeon). Narrator of “Timmy Failure” and “My Weird School” audiobooks. Regional: The Music Man, 9 to 5 (Flat Rock); 1776, The Addams Family (CRT). BFA, Elon University. Jared was last onstage in NJ as Danny Zuko in Grease at Livingston High School. Follow @jaredbgoldsmith on all platforms for his original songs and stories.
CHRISTOPHER GURR (Grimsby). Paper Mill: The Sting and The Sound of Music. Broadway: Parade (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival), Cats (revival), Tuck Everlasting, Kinky Boots, Amazing Grace, All the Way (Tony Award, Best Play). National Tours: Memphis and Spamalot. Off-Broadway: Cyrano opposite Peter Dinklage (New Group), Arturo Ui opposite Raúl Esparza (Classic Stage). Television: Guest starring on “Madame Secretary,” “Elsbeth,” “Soul Santa,” “The Gilded Age,” and “The Good Fight;” recurring as Godwin Page on NBC’s “The Blacklist,” Dr. Leed on Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” for BET, and Marius on “A Murder at the End of the World” for FX. Member AEA, SAG-AFTRA, SDC. ChristopherGurr.com
AUBREY MATALON (Flounder). Paper Mill debut! Broadway: Six: The Musical. Off-Broadway: Between the Lines (Second Stage). Regional: Frozen (Music Theatre Wichita), Ride (Old Globe), Hair (Asolo Rep). Television: “Elsbeth” (CBS), “Monsters at Work” (Disney+). Instagram: @aubreymatalon
KYLE TAYLOR PARKER (Sebastian) is thrilled to be returning to PMP after originating the role of Geno in the world premiere of My Very Own British Invasion. Broadway: Kinky Boots (Lola), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mrs. Green). Off-Broadway: Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Finian’s Rainbow, Songs for a New World. National Tours: Pretty Woman: The Musical (Happy Man), Kinky Boots (Lola), In the Heights. TV/Film: Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles). Favorite regional credits: Jersey Boys (Music Circus), Dreamgirls (Lyric Theatre), Hair (Arizona Theatre Company), Guys and Dolls (Maltz Jupiter Theatre). Stream and download Kyle’s solo albums, Broadway Soul Vol.1 and Vol. 2, on all music platforms. @ktpway
GRAHAM ROWAT (King Triton) last appeared at Paper Mill Playhouse as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen, Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower, Sunset Boulevard, Mamma Mia!, Guys and Dolls, LoveMusik, Dracula, Beauty and the Beast. Off Broadway: The Blue Flower (Second Stage), The Boys in the Band (Transport Group), The Minister’s Wife (Lincoln Center Theater). TV: “Evil,” “Madam Secretary,” “Elementary,” “Law & Order.” Recordings: LoveMusik (Broadway cast recording), Life Begins at 8:40, Sweet Bye and Bye (PS Classics). 150+ audiobooks. linktr.ee/grahamrowat
JOANN M. HUNTER (Director & Choreographer). Always an honor and treat to be back at Paper Mill Playhouse! Over 30 Broadway, West End, and Australian first-class credits. Directed and choreographed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Early and infant stages: Director-choreographer of Jo: The Little Women Musical, Yasuke: The Legend of the Black Samurai, and Birds of New York by Sophie B. Hawkins. I have worked with some extraordinary creatives in my career. How very lucky was I. In honing my craft, I keep my mentors in my heart. I am proud to be a Japanese American woman, and am more than just that.
PAUL RUBIN (Flying Sequence Choreographer) is a proud member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle. Paper Mill Playhouse: Peter Pan (2010) and The Little Mermaid (2013). Broadway credits include Wicked; Curtains; Doctor Zhivago; The Pirate Queen; Peter Pan; Kiss Me, Kate; Frozen; The Green Bird; Fiddler on the Roof; and Saturday Night Fever. International/touring productions include Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Holland, Moscow, Tokyo, and US tour), the world premiere of The Ghost and the Lady directed by Scott Schwartz touring Japan, Tori Amos’s The Light Princess, and SpongeBob SquarePants. Television: “Kevin Can Wait,” Tony Awards, CNN, ET. Instagram: @TheFlyGuyNY, www.TheFlyGuy.com
NATE PATTEN (Music Director). In 2002, Nate won the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star high school scholarship, and he is honored to now be conducting here for the first time. He was most recently the music director for the hit Broadway revival of Elf. Other Broadway: The Prom, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Be More Chill, Beautiful. Tours: Flashdance, Beauty and the Beast, The Wedding Singer. Kennedy Center: Elf. Nate directed and cowrote with Brooke Shields her solo show, Previously Owned, which received rave reviews. This summer he will be directing Steel Magnolias at Bell Theater in Holmdel.
KENNETH FOY (Original Scenic Design) was a graduate of New York’s Cooper Union whose career spanned 1965–2014. A member of the scenic department at the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years, he was among the first to use computer-generated design technology. Broadway: Candida starring Joanne Woodward, Macbeth with Nicol Williamson, Annie, An Evening with Jerry Herman, Gypsy with Tyne Daly, many more. National/International: My Fair Lady, Bombay Dreams, Doctor Dolittle, White Christmas, The Sound of Music, The King and I, Disney’s High School Musical and High School Musical 2, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour. Houston Grand Opera, La Scala, Radio City, Mariah Carey’s Charmbracelet Tour, Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
KELLY JAMES TIGHE (Scenic Coordination & Additional 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 Jersey Boys, 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 5th 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
AMY CLARK (Sea Costume Design). Broadway: A Night with Janis Joplin, Chaplin (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations). Other designs include Becoming Nancy (Alliance), The Music Man (Kennedy Center), Big Apple Circus, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (5th Avenue), Follies (St. Louis Rep), Carefree: Dancin’ with Fred & Ginger (tour), Himself and Nora (Minetta Lane), Heathers: The Musical (New World Stages), Legends and Circus Extreme (Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey), Chaplin (St. Petersburg, Russia), My Life Is a Musical (Bay Street), Somewhere (Hartford Stage), On Your Toes (Encores!). 2012 Theatre Hall of Fame Emerging Artists Fellowship. MFA in Costume Design, NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
MARK KOSS (Sea Costume Design) has designed costumes for theater and dance internationally. His credits include collaborations with artists and production companies such as Richard Nelson, Glenn Casale, James Hadley, Victor Pappas, Hal Brooks, John MacInnis, Aszure Barton, Sydney Skybetter, Feld Entertainment, The Public Theater, The Old Globe, Broadway Sacramento Music Circus, Paper Mill Playhouse, San Francisco Playhouse, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Shotgun Players, and Ray of Light. Mark has also assisted many costume designers on and off-Broadway including Susan Hilferty, Gregg Barnes, and Arianne Phillips.
LEON DOBKOWSKI (Costume Coordination & Additional Design). For Paper Mill Playhouse: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Mary Poppins, Annie, Beauty and the Beast, Pete ’n’ Keely, Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Rock and Roll Man (New World Stages). Additional design credits include The Muny (St. Louis Theatre Circle Award for Seussical and The Wiz), Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars, Gulfshore Playhouse, Weston Playhouse, Irish Repertory Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Drury Lane Theatre, Yale Repertory Theater, Pittsburgh CLO, Music Theatre Wichita, Engeman Theater, Feld Entertainment’s Disney Live!, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Penguin Repertory, TheatreWorks. MFA, Yale School of Drama. www.LeonDobkowski.com
CHARLIE MORRISON (Lighting Design). Paper Mill: 28 shows including The Sound of Music, On Your Feet!, Sister Act, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Full Monty, and Meet Me in St. Louis. National/International Tours: The Cher Show; The Little Mermaid; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; A Christmas Story; 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). www.cmlighting.com
MATT KRAUS (Sound Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Mystic Pizza, Murder on the Orient Express, A Jolly Holiday, Cinderella, Chasing Rainbows, Beauty and the Beast, Holiday Inn (to name a few). Broadway: Liza’s at the Palace…, Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off Broadway: Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (New Victory), Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades!, Stage Struck and Spotlight Bar onboard Princess Cruises. Regional: Guthrie Theater, St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street. Matt won an Emmy Award for his work on Disney’s Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall, which is streaming on Disney+.
LEAH J. LOUKAS (Hair & Wig Design). Paper Mill Playhouse: Fiddler on the Roof, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, The Honeymooners, Million Dollar Quartet, A Christmas Story, Ever After, Elf, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, South Pacific, Oliver!, The Little Mermaid, The Sound of Music. Broadway: Goodnight and Good Luck; Oh, Mary!; Lempicka; The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Sweat; Oh, Hello; On the Town; A Night with Janis Joplin; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Off Broadway: Big Gay Jamboree, Scene Partners. TV: Annie Live! (Emmy Award winner), Only Murders in the Building, season 3 (Emmy nominated, hairstylist).
THE TRC COMPANY (Casting). Led by partners Claire Burke, Kevin Metzger-Timson, Xavier Rubiano, and Peter Van Dam. Recent Paper Mill: White Christmas, Jersey Boys, Gun & Powder, After Midnight, Disney’s Hercules, Rent. Broadway: Dead Outlaw, Boop! The Musical, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, Left on Tenth, The Outsiders, Six, Aladdin. National Tours: The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Water for Elephants, The Wiz, Back to the Future, Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables. The TRC Company is proud to continue the casting legacy of Tara Rubin Casting and Johnson-Liff Associates.
MELISSA CHACÓN (Production Stage Manager). Broadway: Frozen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. National Tours: Frozen, The Color Purple, The Bodyguard, The Bridges of Madison County, We Will Rock You, Billy Elliot, Contact, and Rent. Off-Broadway: The Coast Starlight at Lincoln Center Theater, Harmony, and Avenue Q. Regional: Romeo and Juliet at A.R.T.; The Iceman Cometh at BAM; Joy at George Street Playhouse; White Christmas, Fiddler on the Roof, The Color Purple, and The Bodyguard at Paper Mill Playhouse.
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.
