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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Paper Mill Playhouse Extends Live Cabaret through Summer

Brookside Caberet

Paper Mill Playhouse’s Brookside Cabaret

WHEN: The Carriage House Restaurant at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House opens for alfresco dining at 5:00PM Wednesday–Saturday for prix fixe dinner as well as high-top seating for small plates and cocktails. Brunch is available on Sunday from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. Diners will enjoy live performances every Thursday and Saturday night.*
WHERE:
The Carriage House Restaurant at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House, 22 Brookside Dr., Millburn

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Michael Stotts-Managing Director) announced today that it will continue its popular live Brookside Cabaret every Thursday and Saturday night through September with a talented roster of Broadway and Paper Mill favorites.

Brookside Cabaret will feature performances by Matt Castle, Dwayne Clark, the Louis Danowsky Trio, Elizabeth Ward Land, Erin Maguire, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz, Kyle Taylor Parker, Kelli Rabke, Joe Regan, Susan Speidel, and Rema Webb.

“We are so grateful to be working with these extraordinary performers and to have a chance to provide them with the audiences they have been yearning for since the shutdown in March. Brookside Cabaret has been a huge hit with audiences and performers. Now we are looking forward to an exciting summer ​of great entertainment in our beautiful courtyard. We’ll keep the cabaret going as long as the weather holds up,” says Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director.

“The Carriage House Restaurant has been adored by Paper Mill’s theater patrons and considered a great amenity for our audience. This time has given the restaurant a real chance to shine and to become a destination on its own. We are happy the community is enjoying the food, atmosphere and entertainment,” says Mike Stotts, Managing Director.

Brookside Cabaret and Dining is sponsored by PNC Wealth Management and Szerlip & Co.

Carriage House Restaurant Brookside Dining Wednesday–Sunday

Brookside dining prix fixe two-course dinner is $40 per person Wednesday and Friday, and $70 per person Thursday and Saturday with live entertainment. Small plates and cocktails are available at high-top tables ($30 minimum per person on nights with live entertainment). Sunday brunch is $30 per person including fresh fruit salad and a choice of entrée.

For menus, additional information and to make reservations, order curbside pickup, and learn more about our safety protocols, visit papermill.org/restaurant.

*Brookside Cabaret Schedule of Performers, Thursday and Saturday Nights at 7pm

Thursday, July 30: Erin Maguire: An Evening of Comedy and Song

Saturday, August 1: Louis Danowsky Trio: Broadway Blues

Thursday, August 6: Matt Castle

Saturday, August 8: Susan Speidel and Joe Regan

Thursday, August 13: Matt Castle

Saturday, August 15: Louis Danowsky Trio: Broadway Blues

Thursday, August 20: Elizabeth Ward Land with Matt Castle: A Linda Ronstadt Tribute

Saturday, August 22: Susan Speidel and Joe Regan

Thursday & Saturday, August 27 & 29: Kelli Rabke with John Fischer on piano and Sean Harkness on guitar

Thursday, September 3: Elizabeth Ward Land with Matt Castle: A Linda Ronstadt Tribute

Saturday, September 5: Susan Speidel and Joe Regan

Thursday & Saturday, September 10 & 12: Nicole Vanessa Ortiz

Thursday, September 17: Kyle Taylor Parker: An Evening of Broadway Soul

Saturday, September 19: To be announced

Thursday, September 24: Dwayne Clark

Saturday, September 26: Rema Webb: A Tribute to Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald

In case of rain, Thursday night performances will be rescheduled to Friday night, and Saturday night performances will be rescheduled to Sunday night. Patrons should plan accordingly.


BIOGRAPHIES

Matt Castle is a versatile singer, actor, and arranger. He made his Broadway debut in 2006 playing Peter in Company, directed by John Doyle. Other roles include Jitter in The Musical of Musicals (original off-Broadway cast), Harry in Enter Laughing (York Theatre), and Angie the Ox in Paper Mill’s 2004 production of Guys and Dolls. As a musical director, he has helped develop more than 90 new musicals at Sundance, NYU, Playwrights Horizons, TheaterWorksUSA, Disney Cruise Line, Musical Theatre Factory, Page 73, Weston, Pittsburgh CLO, Philadelphia Theatre Company, the O’Neill, Signature (NYC), Signature (DC), Goodspeed, York Theatre, Barrington, NAMT, NYMF, and CAP21. Highlights include Into the Woods (Fiasco), The Last Five Years (ACT), Once Upon a Mattress (Transport Group), Indian Joe (Goodspeed), and Found (Atlantic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles). He and his husband, Frank Galgano, have written musical arrangements and orchestrations for more than 40 shows, most recently Scotland, PA (Roundabout), Kris Kringle (Proctors), Elf on the Shelf (Mills Entertainment), and a new version of Found (IAMA). In development: Medusa, Dear Shirley.

Dwayne Clark is a multitalented actor, singer, and educator who has had appeared in Broadway productions of The Color Purple, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, In the Heights, Cry-Baby, Urinetown, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Rent, and Tarzan. He was seen in the title role in Makandal, produced by Harlem Stage and the Guggenheim, as well as in the New York City Opera production of Porgy and Bess as Sportin’ Life (also on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center). Other favorite performances include My Favorite Broadway (PBS) with Nathan Lane, Darius de Haas, and Michael McElroy; Broadway Inspirational Voices; and opening at the Motown Cafe New York for The Temptations, The Four Tops, Diana Ross, and more. Some of Dwayne’s favorite regional theater credits include Tick, Tick...Boom! and Ain’t Misbehavin’. On screen he appeared in Eat Pray Love and on The Michael J. Fox Show.

Louis Danowsky Trio: Multi-instrumentalist and Millburn’s own Louis Danowsky brings you your favorite Broadway hits with his trio of saxophone, bass, and drums. Louis is a recent graduate of Northwestern University who has worked on the music teams of two recent Paper Mill Playhouse productions: Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz and Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Louis, alongside his big band, the DW Jazz Orchestra, has headlined at prominent New York venues including Birdland Jazz Club and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center. [we don’t know his personnel and last time it was wrong]

Elizabeth Ward Land is known for her versatility across the entertainment industry. Her Broadway and tour credits include Amazing Grace, Memphis, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Passion, City of Angels, Les Misérables, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Singin’ in the Rain. Off-Broadway, she was seen in Curvy Widow, Sothern Comfort, The Green Heart and Hello Again. She has starred at many of the nations' finest regional theaters, including The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, The Alliance and GeVa. Film/TV: Young Adult, Boy Meets Girl, The Gathering, The Good Fight, Elementary, High Maintenance, The Blacklist, Boardwalk Empire and Madam Secretary. Her acclaimed debut CD, First Harvest, released by LMLMusic is available on ITunes. Her show, Still Within the Sound of My Voice: The Songs of Linda Ronstadt won the 2020 BISTRO Award for Outstanding Tribute Show.  She is married to actor Ken Land; plays oboe, piano, guitar, and loves cats.  

Erin Maguire is a stand-up comedian/actor/writer/podcast host based in New York City. She has written for Comedy Central’s Roast of Alec Baldwin and recently headlined Caroline’s on Broadway. She has appeared on Gotham TV Live for Oculus/NextVR, ESPN, and the Game Show Network. She appears at clubs all over NYC and has been featured at the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, Women in Comedy Festival, and Laugh Your Asheville Off, and she won the Woodstock Comedy Festival. She loves a festival. Her comedy advice podcast Dear Pod (based on the articles of Ann Landers and Dear Abby) reached Apple’s top 100 comedy pods in its first month. Right before the world imploded, Erin played God in David Javerbaum’s Act of God at The Fulton Theatre. Prior to that, she’s been playing God to her two dogs, Scotch and Izzy, while delivering commandments to her husband, Jim. She looks forward to being around live/non-Zoom people but does not look forward to wearing pants again.

Nicole Vanessa Ortiz is from Newark, NJ. Her credits include playing Rusty in Footloose at the Kennedy Center (2019), Sarah in Ragtime at Serenbe Playhouse (2019), the Off Broadway revival of Smokey Joe’s Cafe (2018), and the Leading Lady of Spamilton: An American Parody (2017). She is also the 2012 winner of Wendy’s Next Great Voice on The Wendy Williams Show and was a top 45 finalist in season 5 of American Idol.

Kyle Taylor Parker starred in the world premiere of My Very Own British Invasion at Paper Mill in 2019. He has appeared on Broadway in Kinky Boots and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as in national tours of Kinky Boots (IRNE Award, best visiting actor) and In the Heights. On television, he was seen in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. His off Broadway and regional theater credits include Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Finian’s Rainbow, Dreamgirls, and Hair. Kyle has performed as a concert artist on some of the worlds most celebrated stages including the Apollo and Radio City Music Hall. His debut album, Broadway Soul, Vol. 1, reimagines Broadway classics with an R&B twist and was released by Broadway Records last August on all music platforms.

Kelli Rabke got her “big break” playing the role of Dorothy in Paper Mill Playhouse’s acclaimed production of The Wizard of Oz. Shortly thereafter, she was handpicked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the lead role of the Narrator in the Broadway revival of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (US Cast Recording). Following that, she played her dream role: Eponine in Les Misérables on Broadway. She went on to perform in regional theaters across the country in such roles as Mabel in Mack And Mabel, Christine in Phantom, and back to Paper Mill Playhouse in Stephen Schwartz’s landmark production of Children of Eden as Yonah (American Premiere Recording). She is one of the only Broadway stars to originate a role in both a Stephen Schwartz and an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical — a distinction for which she is incredibly honored. She has been seen and heard in loads of TV commercials and voice-overs, and was the voice of several animated characters, including Kat in the Discovery Kids series Kenny the Shark. She also played the recurring role of Bernadette on The Young and The Restless. After leaving the bright lights of the stage to start a family, Kelli is now a staple in the NYC cabaret world. Her first solo cabaret show debuted to a sold-out crowd at Feinstein’s/54 Below and since then, she’s been featured in shows ranging from Sondheim to Streisand to Bernstein.  She now performs regularly with symphony orchestras stretching from Calgary to Mazatlan and across the country in Blockbuster Broadway, Music of the Knights, and The Wonderful Music of Oz. Other recent highlights include debuting an original song written by David Friedman and Kathie Lee Gifford on the Today Show, and recording the PBS American Songbook Emmy nominated segment, Stephen Schwartz and Friends, featuring the composer himself at the piano and Kelli singing one of his signature songs from Wicked, “The Wizard and I.” She is most proud of her biggest “productions” to date: her son, Joseph, and daughter, Abigale! 

Joe Regan is a fixture on the cabaret scene in the metropolitan area, appearing in piano bars and cabaret rooms, as well as on international river cruises and at various resorts. He performs on Tuesday nights at Don’t Tell Mama in NYC and on Thursday and Sunday nights at 16 Prospect in Westfield, and he can currently be seen online on Virtual Piano Bar on Friday nights at 6 PM. He opened for Steve Ross at the 75th anniversary of the Chrysler Building and has been nominated numerous times as Outstanding Piano Bar Instrumentalist by the Manhattan Association of Cabaret. He is also a teaching artist for the Education Department at Paper Mill and the Performing Arts School at The Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.

Susan Speidel served for 20 years as the Director of Education at Paper Mill, where she founded the Rising Star Awards and the Summer Musical Theater Conservatory. During that time, she also appeared on the Paper Mill stage in The Student Prince, Jesus Christ Superstar, and numerous concerts and Humanities Symposium events. As a performer she has presented cabaret shows at Judy’s Chelsea, The Duplex, Broadway Baby Bistro, Bob Egan’s Cosmopolitan Club, the Stockton Inn, Odette’s, and the Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West. She has been a soloist with the Seattle and Portland Symphonies, the Orchestra of St. Peters by the Sea, and the Key West Pops Orchestra. With the Pops, she played the title role in Hello, Dolly!, directed by Lee Roy Reams, and also appeared as Stella Deems in Follies. Other regional credits include Rose in Gypsy, Rev. Mother in Nunsense, Mama Morton in Chicago, Gooch in Mame, Saraghina in Nine, Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and Emma Goldman in Ragtime. She has directed over 100 professional, community, university, and high school productions, and she teaches as an adjunct in the Theatre Conservatory at Kean University.   

Rema Webb is a 20-year Broadway veteran who most recently made her Paper Mill debut in the world premiere of Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Last summer she was featured in the Public Theater/Disney Theatrical production of Hercules at the Delacorte Theater. Rema’s Broadway credits include Escape to Margaritaville, The Color Purple, Violet, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, and Ragtime, and her off-Broadway and regional credits include Little Shop of Horrors, The Cradle Will Rock, The Colored Museum, and A New Brain, among others. She has appeared on television and film in NBC’s The Sound of Music Live!, First Born, Beloved, Sudden Death, and Murphy Brown. Rema debuted her critically acclaimed solo concert, Children Will Listen, at 54 Below and gave an encore performance at 42 West. With a mission to pass on her knowledge and inspire the next generation of young artists, Rema is the founder and executive director of On Broadway Performing Arts Training Program.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director) and recipient of the 2016 Regional Theater 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.