Ashley Blanchet, Graham Rowat, and Gavin Lee lead Paper Mill Playhouse's new production of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's The Sound of Music, which began its run at the New Jersey theatre December 2 and is scheduled to continue through January 1, 2023. Get a first look at the production in pics below.
Blanchet (Waitress) and Rowat (Dear Evan Hansen) star as Maria Rainer and Captain Georg von Trapp, respectively, alongside Cáitlín Burke (The Sound of Music) as Mother Abbess, Emily Borromeo (School of Rock) as Elsa Schraeder, Lee (SpongeBob SquarePants, Mary Poppins) as Max Detweiler, Analise Scarpaci (Mrs. Doubtfire) as Liesl von Trapp, Andrew Alstat as Rolf Gruber, Stacia Fernandez (Mamma Mia!) as Frau Schmidt, Christopher Gurr (Kinky Boots) as Herr Zeller, Paul Slade Smith (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Franz, and Mark Banik (Beautiful) as Admiral von Schreiber.
Cáitlín Burke (center) and company of The Sound of Music
Ashley Blanchet and Cáitlín Burke in The Sound of Music
Ashley Blanchet in The Sound of Music
Graham Rowat, Gavin Lee, and Emily Borromeo in The Sound of Music
Emily Borromeo and Gavin Lee in The Sound of Music
Analise Scarpaci and Ashley Blanchet in The Sound of Music
Cáitlín Burke (center) and company of The Sound of Music
Charlotte Sydney Harrington, Tara Rajan, Jacey Sink, Analise Scarpaci, Coleman Simmons, Cody Braverman, and Austin Elle Fisher in The Sound of Music
Graham Rowat, Ashley Blanchet with Tara Rajan and Cody Braverman in The Sound of Music
Graham Rowat, Gavin Lee, and Emily Borromeo in The Sound of Music
Starring as the von Trapp children are Coleman Simmons, age 14, from West Orange, New Jersey, as Friedrich; Jacey Sink, age 12, from Summit, New Jersey, as Louisa; Cody Braverman, age 10, from Short Hills, New Jersey, as Kurt; Tara Rajan, age 9, from Sands Point, New York, as Brigitta; Austin Elle Fisher, age 9, from Tinton Falls, New Jersey, as Marta; and Charlotte Sydney Harrington, age 7, from Shelton, Connecticut, as Gretl, with Charlotte Ewing, age 11, from Chatham, New Jersey, and Ethan Joseph, age 12, from Somerset, New Jersey, as standbys.
Rounding out the company in the ensemble are Griffin Binnicker, Dean Cestari, Brittany Conigatti, Nick Davis, Vincent DiPeri, Madeleine Doherty, Eric Michael Gillett, Gina Hanzlik, Katie Horner, Mary Illes, Meredith Lustig, Kate Mazza, Christine Price, Chandler Reeves, Emily Royer, Kayleen Seidl, Ariana Valdes, and Kai B. White.
The production is helmed by Paper Mill Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, leading a creative team including choreographer Kenny Ingram, music director Meg Zervoulis, scenic designer Kelly James Tighe (based on an original design by James Fouchard), costume designer Leon Dobkowski from Catherine Zuber's original work, lighting designer Charlie Morrison, sound designer Sun Hee Kil, and hair and wig designer Jimmy Goode. Casting is by Nora Brennan Casting, and Gary Mickelson serves as production stage manager.
With music by Rodgers, lyrics by Hammerstein, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, The Sound of Music is one of Golden Age musical theatre's most enduring works, telling the story of the real-life von Trapp family who became a worldwide success as a traveling family choir. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1959 with Mary Martin as nun-turned-governess-turned-choirmaster Maria, with Julie Andrews famously taking on the role for the wildly successful 1965 screen version. The musical would be the last collaboration for Rodgers and Hammerstein, with the latter passing away months after the work took its first Broadway bow.
For tickets and more information, visit PaperMill.org.
