MMS Students Win Young Playwright Award

Their play "iLove" will be performed in May.

Two Millburn Middle School students are among teh winners of the 27th Annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest. Eighth graders Rachel Chowdhury and Hannah Rubenstein were among the winners for their play iLove. Four plays from junior high school students across the state were selected for the honors. Additionally, four high school and four elementary school plays from the 350 plays that were submitted from across the state. The 27th Annual New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest Festival will be held on May 17 and May 18 as part of a partnership between Playwrights Theatre and Premiere Stages at Kean University. The junior high school division winners will be presented on May 17, along with the elementary school winners, starting at 10 a.m…

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Paper Mill Playhouse Juniors Perform For Holidays

Young performers on tour, bringing holiday cheer to our communities

The Paper Mill Playhouse Theatre School Junior All Stars performed at the Springfield YMCA Wednesday with a holiday-themed performance in front of several dozen local children and their families.   Their 2009 program is called "North Pole Exposure." A curious group of young people make a visit to the North Pole wanting a first hand look at the intense year-round training of the famous characters that make the holidays happen. Along the way they meet comical but determined reindeer, very tired holiday elves, snowmen who only want a Hawaiian vacation and magical hip hop dancing toys including Jack in the Box. Witnessing all of this, the young visitors discover the actuality of the true spirit of Christmas, along with an appearance by Santa …

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Review: 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' Was Fun for All

Limelight Players entertain receptive crowd with lively, enjoyable performance at Millburn High School.

As soon as the curtain closed on Millburn High School's Limelight Players production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" Saturday night, the cast's screams of exhilaration, joy, and relief could be heard from the other side. As they received their standing ovation, it was obvious they couldn't wait to relieve the excitement and tension that accompanies a musical. These performers, whose short rehearsal period could be conducive to a highly stressful situation, made it look easy. Whether portraying a suave charmer or a ditzy country girl, each cast member of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" enjoyed themselves and provided their audience with an enjoyable experience as a result. The success of the performance was owed partially to the material presented…

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Locals in Summit's Beauty and the Beast

Two Millburn-Short Hills residents have starring roles in the Summit Playhouse production.

Beauty and the Beast Junior opens Friday night at the Summit Playhouse, and it stars two Millburn-Short Hills residents. Lindsay Maron will play Belle, and Joseph Bremburg will play Gaston in the production based on the Disney movie and Broadway production. Performances are scheduled this weekend on Friday, Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and again on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The production wraps up on July 24 and July 25 at 7 p.m. and July 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are moving quickly with few seats remaining in the tiny theater. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by calling 908-273-219 or using the online order form.

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MMS 8th Grader's Dreams Are on Stage

She is directing a children's production at the Summit Playhouse

Lindsay Maron walked out onto the stage during the first song of "Dreamers Revue," singing with the rest of the cast. But in the middle of the song, she jumped off the stage and rushed to the back row and took a spot behind a computer screen. Not only is the Millburn Middle School eighth grader performing in the production at the Summit Playhouse, she is also directing it. The Pixie Dust Players, as part of the Kaleidoscope Theater for Youth, will present "Dreamers Revue" Friday though Thursday in Summit. Friday's performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. There is a 1 p.m. and a 5 p.m. performance on Saturday and there are 5 p.m. performances the remaining three days. Maron said she started the Pixie Dust Players as a mitzvah project for her bat…

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Max Sauberman

10:50 pm on Friday, May 15, 2009

Opening night of our show went great! Thanks for all of your support, and we have five shows left. Please come see "Dreamers"!   more ›

Students Shine on Paper Mill Stage

Playhouse holds annual Artsfest for Adopt-A-School students

They danced, they sang and they even fought. Then they brought their talents to the Paper Mill Playhouse stage Tuesday afternoon. Students from seven high schools came to the playhouse to learn new skills through workshops on dance, musical theater and stage combat workshops and perform for Artsfest 2009. It is part of the third annual Adopt-A-School project that allows students to learn more about performing arts during their four years in high school. "This is one of our best kept secrets," said Howard Hirsch, Paper Mill Board of Trustees co-chairman. "People know our main stage productions, but they're not aware of our education programs. We don't brag enough about it." Hirsch and other trustees sat through the different workshops, but …

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Paper Mill Announces 'Full Monty' Casting

Show opens June 10 and runs through July 12

The Paper Mill Playhouse released the full casting for the Full Monty, which will run at the theater June 10 through July 12. It's the final show of the 2008-09 season at the Paper Mill and performances will be Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The Full Monty, based on the international film, is a grin and bare-it-all musical comedy that tells the story of a dispirited group of unemployed steel workers in Buffalo, N.Y., who are desperate to make some quick cash.  Jerry, a divorced father behind in his child-support, convinces the gang to become male strippers at a local club. Directed by the theater's Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee, The Full …

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Editor's Notebook: A Good Time at "1776"

Paper Mill Playhouse performance makes this Revolutionary War fan smile

I'm not a theater critic, but I know when I have a good time at a production. And that's what I had Thursday night with "1776" at the Paper Mill Playhouse. One of my favorite parts of American history is the revolution era, which is why I was especially interested in seeing "1776." I had high hopes for the production, especially after seeing some video we shot of a rehearsal, and I wasn't disappointed. The story follows main characters John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson through May, June and July 1776 in the efforts to persuade the Continental Congress to vote for independence and sign the Declaration of Independence. Since I'm a fan of revolutionary war-era history, the story doesn't surprise me. Declaring independence was…

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MHS Actors Go 'From the Page to the Stage'

High school spring drama opens Friday night

Typically readers create characters in their heads when they flip through the pages of a novel, but Millburn High School students took the practice one step further for this year's spring drama. "From the Page to the Stage" will be performed at Millburn High School on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Twenty percent of each ticket sale will be donated to Broadway Cares. Directed by teacher Suzanne Snyder, who returns after a five-year absence, the production takes 18 monologues from literature—both old and new—and brings them to life on stage. Students also wrote "page turner" scenes, which link several of the characters. The set is a large book, and each character will come off the page. …

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Stritch to Star in Paper Mill's 'Full Monty'

Will play Jeanette Burmeister in the production that opens June 10

Tony Award-winning actress Elaine Stritch will star in the Paper Mill Playhouse's upcoming production of The Fully Monty, theater officials announced in a press release Wednesday. She will star as Jeanette Burmeister in the production that is set to open June 10 and run through July 12. Final casting will be announced in the coming weeks. Stritch is a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award winner for her one-woman show Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. She has received Tony Award nominations for her performances in A Delicate Balance, Company, Sail Away and Bus Stop. Stritch is the Emmy Award winner for her roles in 30 Rock, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty and Law & Order. She has received Emmy Award nominations for 30 Rock and An Inconvenient Woman. The …