Paper Mill Playhouse 25-2026 Season

[Voter]

Posted: 3/21/25 at 9:55pm

Paper Mill Playhouse supposedly will announce their next season on Monday (according to their Instagram). Or maybe drop some hints

Updated On: 3/21/25 at 09:55 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/21/25 at 10:21pm

I'll guess and say they'll be one of the dozens of regional theaters producing COME FROM AWAY. Plus they'll up up two new shows and two classics(everyone seems to be doing Fiddler now).

[GF21]

Posted: 3/22/25 at 10:11pm

The Ron Shelton/Susan Werner musical version of Bull Durham was announced to run from 10/2 to 11/2 a couple of months ago.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway-Aimed-BULL-DURHAM-To-Play-Paper-Mill-Playhouse-In-Fall-2025-20250121

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:04pm

• Bull Durham 
• Frozen 
• Come From Away 
• 1776
• West Side Story 

[inception]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:18pm

Strange they felt the need to do 1776 when another version played Broadway recently.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:22pm

Excited for "Bull Durham". Hopefully "WSS" & "1776" will be done (for lack of a better word) traditionally, after the last Broadway revivals. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:28pm

Does anyone know who the lead producers attached to Bull Durham are? I feel that is usually included in press releases for these types of regional tryouts ala “presented in association with [name]” but not seeing anything pop up online.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:29pm

ACL2006 said: "

• Bull Durham
• Frozen
• Come From Away
• 1776
• West Side Story

Wow, besides Bull Durham, that line up is boring AF. 

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:32pm

Come From Away is boring? 🤔

 

Richard Hines is directing the production (who assisted on the Broadway production and restaged the tours), so hopefully it's not a carbon copy of the Broadway version.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:34pm

I would have loved to see John Behlmann in Bull Durham, which I have to believe made better use of him than Smash is, but I assume his Smash contract made it impossible when they were casting back in February (even if Smash is unlikely to still be running this fall when Bull Durham runs).

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:45pm

ACL2006 said: "Come From Away is boring? 🤔
 

No, I saw it the night the Clintons were there and had an amazing time. But, Come From Away and 1776 were on Broadway not long ago. And you can see a million different versions of West Side Story anywhere. And Frozen is just garbage. I'm just surprised at how uninspiring these choices are. 

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:47pm

I'm just curious to see if Hines gives Come From Away a different take/vision.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:48pm

The broadwayworld article seems to indicates Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee will be directing Frozen for PMP. Just double checking that’s not correct. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:52pm

Sutton Ross said: "ACL2006 said: "Come From Away is boring? 🤔


No, I saw it the night the Clintons were there and had an amazing time. But, Come From Away and 1776 were on Broadway notlong ago. And you can see a million different versions of West Side Story anywhere. And Frozen is just garbage. I'm just surprised at how uninspiring these choices are.

"

I mean their current season had Mystic Pizza. They can only go up from here.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 12:57pm

My God, I completely forgot about that after someone here lied and said it was coming to Broadway. Imagine? Ha. Love it. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 1:04pm

MemorableUserName said: "I would have loved to see John Behlmann in Bull Durham, which I have to believe made better use of him than Smash is, but I assume his Smash contract made it impossible when they were casting back in February (even if Smash is unlikely to still be running this fall when Bull Durham runs)."

I agree with this. Re; Smash, I’m hedging my bets on it being around until the winter. I think worst case scenario it will break even or lose marginally on a week to week basis through the fall months. Considering the producers attached I believe this is the kind of show that will really make a point to spend more money on a larger reserve. Smash is the kind of project that has a lot to gain when the SRC rolls around by presenting as having had at least a semi-”healthy” run for industry clout/to drive momentum towards subsequent productions even if it lost most everything on Broadway.

As far as Bellman is concerned, I have no clue what that means for him. Forgive my big sidebar lol.

[rannells_renthead.11]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 1:39pm

I mean their current season had Mystic Pizza. They can only go up from here."

At the mention of mystic pizza my eye still twitches... this upcoming season doesn't seem to be spectacular but there's definitely been worse.

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 1:41pm

Papermill's current season is lame AF. Did anyone actually see Mystic Pizza? Or is planning on seeing their next show?

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 2:35pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Excited for "Bull Durham". Hopefully "WSS" & "1776" will be done (for lack of a better word) traditionally, after the last Broadway revivals."

COME FROM AWAY will be.  WSS and 1776 most likely traditional as well with Mark Hoebee directing.  

COME FROM AWAY is being "directed" by the Associate/Resident Choreographer (Richard Hines) hired to put the original production into Europe markets.  Paper Mill wants a cheap semi-recreation but not pay the original team.  Guaranteed this will look similar to the original. 

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 2:47pm

"Boring" is the route nearly all regional theaters are going. They don't have much choice. Subscription numbers are crashing all across the country, ticket buying habits have still not rebounded since the pandemic in most regional markets. These houses need to program familiar titles that will get butts in seats. Few of these theaters can take chances on original works or relatively unknown shows.

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 2:54pm

Especially given Paper Mill's recently announced $40 million renovation, I'm not surprised they're playing it safe and putting on titles to fill the house and drive revenue growth. The material aside, I believe Mystic Pizza did relatively well for them financially.

[inception]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 3:20pm

I attended a performance of a local production of Cambodian Rock Band last Saturday night at the biggest local regional theatre company, and it was half empty.  They're doing Waitress next, so that should do better for them.  They're also doing Frozen next X-mas.   Anything a little bit out of the ordinary and they lose $$$.

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: ""Boring" is the route nearly all regional theaters are going. They don't have much choice. Subscription numbers are crashing all across the country, ticket buying habits have still not rebounded since the pandemic in most regional markets. These houses need to program familiar titles that will get butts in seats. Few of these theaters can take chances on original works or relatively unknown shows."

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/24/25 at 6:41pm

On another discussion thread it’s been suggested that PMP’s season could be seen as “boring,” because they only licensed titles that qualify for NEA grants under the new guidelines, “projects that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.”

[CJRochester]

Posted: 3/25/25 at 9:25am

ACL2006 said: "I'm just curious to see if Hines gives Come From Away a different take/vision."

Richard Hines is also directing Come From Away for Ogunquit Playhouse in May.