Benny & Joon, a musical adaptation of the 1993 film, will begin performances April 4 at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse ahead of an April 14 opening.
Directed by Jack Cummings III with choreography by Scott Rink and music direction by J. Oconor Navarro, the cast is lead by Claybourne Elder (Sunday in the Park with George) as Benny, Hannah Elless (Paper Mill’s The Other Josh Cohen) as Joon, and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) as Sam.
Benny & Joon tells the story of a young woman dealing with mental illness and her big brother who’s determined to take care of her. When a charmingly eccentric stranger comes into their lives, he throws their world off-kilter.
Flip through photos of rehearsals for Benny & Joon below:
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Rounding out the company are Tatiana Wechsler (Oklahoma!) as Ruthie, Colin Hanlon (Falsettos) as Mike, Paolo Montalban (Paper Mill’s The King and I) as Larry, Natalie Toro (A Tale of Two Cities) as Dr. Cortez/Mrs. Smail, Jacob Keith Watson (Carousel) as Waldo/Video Store Owner, and Belinda Allyn (Paper Mill’s West Side Story).
Conor Ryan (Paper Mill’s My Very Own British Invasion) will play the role of Sam at certain performances.
The production, presented by special arrangement with Larry Hirschhorn is scheduled to play a limited engagement through May 5.
Benny & Joon will have scenic and costume design by Dane Laffrey, lighting design by R. Lee Kennedy, sound design by Kai Harada, flying by Foy, movement coordination by Lorenzo Pisoni, and orchestrations by Michael Starobin. The production stage manager is Victoria Navarro. Casting is by Nora Brennan, CSA.
The musical made its world premiere at the Old Globe in 2017; several members of the Paper Mill cast, including Elless and Pinkham, reprise their performances from the San Diego run.
For more information, visit PaperMill.org.
