The theatre is currently occupied by the Tony-winning revival of The Color Purple, which is scheduled to close January 8, 2017.
Bandstand, which stars Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella) and Corey Cott (Gigi), will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights). The show features original music by Richard Oberacker and a book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Oberacker. Additional casting and creative team will be announced shortly.
Bandstand made its world premiere at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse in October 2015 under the title The Bandstand.
“Set in the smoke filled, swing fueled night clubs of 1945,” Bandstand, according to press notes, “brings the against-all-odds story of singer/songwriter Donny Novitski (Cott) and his band of mismatched fellow WWII veterans to the stage. When a national radio contest to find America’s next big swing band offers a chance at instant fame and Hollywood fortune, Donny must whip his wise-cracking gang of jazzers into fighting shape. Teaming up with the beautiful young war widow Julia (Osnes) as their singer, they struggle to confront the lingering effects and secrets of the battlefield that threaten to tear them apart. Playing for every voiceless underdog in a world that has left them behind, they risk everything in the final live broadcast to redefine the meaning of victory. With an explosive original score and choreography inspired by the high energy swing rhythms of the era, Bandstand is a truly American story of love, loss, triumph and the everyday men and women whose personal bravery defined a nation.”
In a statement Blankenbuehler said, “I was thrilled to have the chance to premiere Bandstand out at The Paper Mill Playhouse, where I’ve had so many great mile markers in my career. Our time there was so important for the development of this very exciting and brand new musical. We were thrilled with the reception we received, but we were even more excited to roll up our sleeves and continue working on the show. After months of digging deeper with the material, the entire Bandstand team is ready to put the show up on the Broadway boards. As a director, I’m so lucky to be involved with a show that is so rich in emotion and heart. As a choreographer, I’m over the moon to be dancing to a score that sizzles like nothing else on Broadway.”
Bandstand will be produced on Broadway by Tom Smedes, Gabrielle Palitz, Terry Schnuck, Tom Kirdahy, and Roger Horchow.
Check out photos from the Paper Mill run below:
(Updated November 4, 2016)
