Musical about Dion to be among offerings in Paper Mill Playhouse’s ’19-’20 season

DION DiMUCCI

“The Wanderer,” a new musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion, will be part of the 2019-20 season at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. In it, according to a press release, “the incredible musical journey of a troubled young man turned teenage heartthrob (and, ultimately, rock and roll icon) is told in intimate and no-holds-barred detail.”

The play, which features a book by Charles Messina, will touch on Dion’s “lifelong battle with addiction” and “the darker side of fame and success,” according to the press release. It will the last offering of the Paper Mill’s season, with a month of shows beginning in late May 2020.

Originally the lead singer for the ’50s and early ’60s doo-wop group The Belmonts (best known for “A Teenager in Love”), Dion DiMucci, who is now 79, also had solo hits such as “The Wanderer,” “Runaround Sue,” “Ruby Baby” and “Abraham, Martin and John” in the ’60s.

This will be a world premiere. The five-musical season will also feature the world premiere of “Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber,” which will be about the composer and his music, and feature some of the classic songs he has written, as well as new material; and the New Jersey premiere of “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz,” about Judy Garland’s rise to stardom.

“Unmasked” was originally scheduled to be part of the Paper Mill’s 2018-19 season, but the production was postponed to the upcoming season.

Also on the schedule are a holiday season production of “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” which ran on Broadway from 2013 to 2015; and “Sister Act,” which is based on the 1992 hit film and was on Broadway in 2011 and 2012.

Season subscriptions are currently available at PaperMill.org. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 19.

Here is the schedule:

Sept. 26-Oct. 27: “Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz”
Nov. 20-Dec. 29: “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Jan. 30-March 1: “Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber”
April 1-26, 2020: “Sister Act”
May 28-June 28, 2020: “The Wanderer”