The Paper Mill Playhouse production of Bull Durham: the Musical begins previews October 2 at the New Jersey venue prior to an official opening October 12. Get a sneak peek at the production in the video above, featuring Carmen Cusack and the company performing "The Church of Baseball."
Tony nominee Cusack (Bright Star, Flying Over Sunset) and Nik Walker (Hamilton, Ain't Too Proud) star as Annie Savoy and Crash Davis. The two led the musical in its previous run at Reynolds Industries Theater at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, produced by Theatre Raleigh.
The Bull Durham story weaves together baseball and romance as veteran catcher Crash Davis is brought in to mentor rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" Laloosh, while Annie Savoy, the team's muse, must choose between the two men. The musical is adapted by its original Academy Award-nominated screenwriter/director, Ron Shelton, with music and lyrics by Susan Werner.
The Paper Mill cast also includes Joel Ashur (Nollywood Dreams) as Larry, Ashlyn Maddox (Parade) as Millie, James Moye (Tootsie) as Skip, Andrew Poston (Almost Famous) as Jimmy, Will Savarese (Frozen national tour) as Nuke LaLoosh, and Nick Wyman (Catch Me If You Can) as Uncle Roy. The ensemble features Mike Baerga, Ellie Barone, Tre’ Booker, Jacob Burns, Daniel DiPinto, Benny Elledge, Diana Huey, Ashton Lambert, Brian Shimasaki Liebson, Jessi Little, Carson Hampton Palmer, Valentina Shelton, Jake Trammel, Dori Waymer, Matt Wiercinski, Casey Wortham, and Blake Zelesnikar.
The musical is directed by Marc Bruni (The Great Gatsby) and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse (Smash).
The creative team also includes music supervisor Vadim Feichtner, orchestrator August Eriksmoen, scenic designer Derek McLane, costume designer Alejo Vietti, lighting designer Cory Pattak, sound designer Haley Parcher, hair, wig, and makeup designer Liz Printz, casting director Eric Woodall, and fight and intimacy director Rocío Mendez. Vocal arrangements are by Jason DeBord, Tim Weil, and Vadim Feichtner; dance arrangements are by DeBord, Weil, and Sam Davis. The production stage manager is Matthew Lacey.
Initially developed in 2014, this is a reworked adaptation with eyes on Broadway.
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