The 2020-21 season at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn will include the new musical, “Bruce.”
Like every other theater in New Jersey, the Paper Mill Playhouse is currently closed. But it has announced the five plays of its 2020-21 season and says, in a press release, that it “looks forward to opening its doors to audiences for a season of healing, of laughter, and of joy.”
The season will start with the farce/murder mystery “Clue,” based on the 1985 movie that was inspired by the classic game, Oct. 7-Nov. 11.
Next up is a holiday season production of the beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music,” Nov. 25-Jan. 3.
As previously announced, a “reimagined” version of “Elton John and Rice’s Aida” will be part of the season. It will be produced Feb. 4-March 7.
This will be followed by the world premiere of “The Wanderer,” a jukebox musical based on the life and music of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion, April 8-May 9, 2021. This production was postponed from the Paper Mill’s 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus crisis.
The season will then close with another world premiere musical, “Bruce,” June 9-July 4, 2021. A co-production with Seattle Rep, “Bruce” is, according to the press release, “based on ‘The Jaws Log’ by screenwriter Carl Gottlieb. Chronicling the making of an iconic movie, ‘Bruce’ tells the story of a then unknown 26-year-old director named Steven Spielberg, his beleaguered film set, and the challenges that thwarted him and his team at every turn, including the film’s star: an uncooperative mechanical shark named Bruce.”
Gottlieb co-wrote the “Jaws” script with Peter Benchley and also played the part of Harry Meadows in the film. “The Jaws Log” came out in 1975 (the same year the movie was released).
Subscription packages are available now (online only; the box office is closed until further notice), and single tickets will go on sale Aug. 17. For information, visit PaperMill.org.
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