Paper Mill Playhouse's 2025–2026 season in Millburn, New Jersey, will feature five musicals: Bull Durham, Disney’s Frozen, Come From Away, 1776, and West Side Story.
The 87th season at the Tony Award-winning venue will launch October 2–November 2 with the new musical Bull Durham, based on the 1988 MGM film starring Kevin Costner. Ron Shelton, who penned the film's screenplay, has written the libretto with a score by Susan Werner. Marc Bruni will direct and Joshua Bergasse will choreograph the baseball-themed musical, which follows a veteran catcher tasked with mentoring a hotshot rookie pitcher, while a baseball muse must choose her seasonal protégé.
The musical was seen in September 2024 at Reynolds Industries Theater at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Tony nominee Carmen Cusack starred as Annie Savoy, joined by Nik Walker as Crash Davis and John Behlmann as Ebby Calvin "Nuke" Laloosh.
Disney's Frozen, based on the 2013 blockbuster animated film written by Jennifer Lee and directed by Chris Buck and Lee, will follow, running November 26, 2025–January 4, 2026. With music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and a book by Lee, the musical follows sisters Elsa and Anna, who are torn apart by a mysterious secret power. The original film spawned the Oscar-winning hit "Let It Go," performed by Tony winner Idina Menzel.
Come From Away, which tells the true story of 7,000 airplane passengers stranded in a Newfoundland town on September 11, 2001, will play the Paper Mill February 4–March 1 in a production directed by Richard J. Hinds. The Tony-nominated musical features a book and score by Irene Sankoff and David Hein.
The Tony-winning 1776, based on the arguments and politics involved in the signing of the Declaration of Independence, will be seen April 1–26. Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee will direct the 1969 musical, which features a book by Peter Stone and music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards.
On This Day: 1776 Opened on Broadway, March 16, 1969
The Paper Mill season will conclude May 28–June 28 with the classic American musical West Side Story. Also directed by Hoebee, the production will re-create the original choreography by Jerome Robbins. The Arthur Laurents-Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical, about rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks, features such classics as "Tonight," "Maria," "America," "Somewhere," and more.
Casting and additional creative team members for all productions will be announced at a later date.
“We believe in the transformative power of theatre to bring people together. This season’s productions illuminate stories of resilience, love, and unity—reminding us that we are always stronger when we join together as a community,” said Producing Artistic Director Hoebee in a statement. “As The Great Gatsby represents Paper Mill both on Broadway and in London’s West End, we are proud to continue fostering theatrical excellence here in Millburn, proving once again that storytelling knows no bounds.”
Subscriptions may be purchased at PaperMill.org. Tickets to individual shows will go on sale beginning August 4.
