Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) continues its 75th Anniversary Season with another new musical The Other Josh Cohen at the Millburn, New Jersey theater from February 19 through March 16, 2014.The official press opening night is Sunday, February 23, 2014, at 7:00pm. Tickets range from $27 to $98. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org.
The Other Josh Cohen features a book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen. Ted Sperling (Striking 12, See What I Wanna See) will direct, with musical staging by Andrew Palermo. Vadim Feichtner serves as Music Director. The Other Josh Cohen features Steve Rosen, David Rossmer, Hannah Elless, Vadim Feichtner, Cathryn Salamone, Ken Triwush and Kate Wetherhead.
The Other Josh Cohen at Paper Mill Playhouse: From left to right: Ken Triwush, Kate Wetherhead, Hannah Elless, David Rossmer, Vadim Feichtner, Steve Rosen, and Cathryn Salamone. Photo by Billy Bustamante
The creative team includes David Korins (Scenic Design), Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design), Jen Schriever (Lighting Design), Randy Hansen (Sound Design) and Amanda Miller (Hair and Wig Design).
The Other Josh Cohen at Paper Mill Playhouse: From left to right: Hannah Elless, Kate Wetherhead, Steve Rosen, Ken Triwush, and David Rossmer. Photo by Jerry Dalia
The Off-Broadway production of The Other Josh Cohen was nominated for a 2013 Off Broadway Alliance for Outstanding Musical and a 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical. It also received nods at the 58th Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Lyrics, Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Steve Rosen), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Kate Wetherhead). The Other Josh Cohen is generously supported by individuals of Paper Mill Playhouse’s Raise the Curtain campaign celebrating Paper Mill Playhouse’s 75th Anniversary.
The Other Josh Cohen at Paper Mill Playhouse: From left to right: Ken Triwush, Steve Rosen, David Rossmer, and Vadim Feichtner. Photo by Jerry Dalia
Synopsis:
Good guy Josh Cohen is caught in a lifelong battle with bad luck. He’s single, broke, and woefully underemployed when his apartment is robbed. But then a mysterious letter arrives that could change his life forever.
“Imagine Seinfeld meets Rodgers and Hart directed by Woody Allen,” remarked Backstage.
The New York Times raves, “Superb and sweetly funny, brisk and satisfying, spandex-tight writing and crackling comic delivery. It’s an endearing and consistently funny crowd pleaser. Buy tickets now.”
Performances for The Other Josh Cohen are Wednesday through Sunday.
Performance Schedule:
Wednesday at 7:30pm
Thursday at 1:30pm and 7:30pm
Friday at 8:00pm
Saturday at 1:30pm and 8:00pm
Sunday at 1:30pm and 7:00pm
Tickets range from $27 to $98.Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680.
The Other Josh Cohen features a cast of Broadway veterans and Paper Mill Playhouse newcomers. On Broadway, Steve Rosen (Josh Cohen) originated the roles of Sir Bedevere, et al. in Spamalot, Harlan Honn, et al. in Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention and played Benny Southstreet in the 2009 revival of Guys & Dolls. Rosen also played Nathan Detroit on the national tour. Recent Off-Broadway credits include Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher at New World Stages, Jacob Sherman in CQ/CX at the Atlantic Theater Company and Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher at New York Theater Workshop. He is a co-creator of the long-running improvisational- variety benefit Don’t Quit Your Night Job. Film credits include: Arthur, Kevin’s Couch (LA Comedy Film Festival: Best Actor), Storytelling, and the upcoming film The Humbling. On television Rosen appeared on “Person of Interest,” “Psych,” “Law and Order,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Masters of Sex,” “The Good Wife,” “Kings and Ed”. David Rossmer (Narrator Josh) recently completed his run in the Tony Award-winning Broadway play Peter and the Starcatcher, where he originated the role of Ted. Rossmer is a singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the rock band TheMisconceptions, and has performed extensively on and off-Broadway (Titanic, Fiddler on the Roof); in films (Robots, Loving Leah) and on television shows (“Blue Bloods,” “It Could Be Worse”). Rossmer received a Barrymore Award nomination for Nerds. With collaborator Dan Lipton, Rossmer has penned a number of musicals, including JOE!,notes to MariAnne, Rated P and The Blonde Streak. They also write special material regularly for singers including Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara, who featured their song “They Don’t Let You In the Opera If You’re a Country Star” on her most recent album Always. Rossmer is author of the play When the Dog Comes Knockin’ at Your Door, the screenplay Pariss and is one of the co-creators/hosts of the hit show Don’t Quit Your Night Job. Hannah Elless appeared on Broadway in Godspell (“Bless the Lord”) and the national tour of Mamma Mia!. Other credits include: Baby Case (NYMF), The Giver (NAMT), Private Lives, The Adventures of Pinocchio (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Baby (Lizzie, Actors Theatre Company). Her film credits include: The Lake Effect and About Face. Vadim Feichtner musically directed the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway Feichtner’s work was seen in Little Miss Sunshine, Elegies: A Song Cycle, Infinite Joy, The Burnt Part Boys, Ordinary Days, I Sing!. Writing credits include: Lincoln Center Songbook’s Songs of Innocence and Experience and incidental music for New York Public Theatre’s As You Like It (both written with William Finn). Ken Triwush met David Rossmer doing Titanic on Broadway, and they cemented their friendship on the subsequent national tour, where they penned a dozen or so alternative/pop tunes, founding the immensely addictive musical genre known as “Pirate Rock.” Other New York appearances include Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (playing the title role on Broadway and tour) and Crossing Brooklyn for The Transport Group. Triwush also starred in numerous regional and touring productions including Hedwig and the Angry Inch in North Carolina and Annie in Seoul, Korea. Paper Mill Playhouse alum Kate Wetherhead is the co-creator, writer and star of the online series Submissions Only. Wetherhead’s Broadway credits include the original companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Legally Blonde. Off-Broadway, Wetherhead was featured in Ordinary Days, Sarah, Plain and Tall, Tatjana in Color and Cam Jansen. At Paper Mill Playhouse Wetherhead was critically acclaimed for her performance as Annelle in the 2008 production of Steel Magnolias. Rounding out the cast is Cathryn Salamone, who is currently playing Luisa in the New York production of The Fantasticks. A recent graduate of Pace University, Salamone has worked with the New York Philharmonic and The Dramatists Guild.
Ted Sperling (Director) won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of The Light in the Piazza, for which he also served as music director. Other Broadway credits include the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Angels in America, My Favorite Year, Falsettos, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Les Misérables, Roza, and Sunday in the Park with George. Sperling was an original cast member of the Broadway musical Titanic. Off-Broadway credits include: A Man of No Importance, Wise Guys, A New Brain, Falsettoland and Romance in Hard Times. Sperling’s work as a stage director includes the world premieres of The Other Josh Cohen, See What I Wanna See, Charlotte: Life? Or Theater? and Striking 12, as well as a revival of Lady in the Dark. Sperling was a recipient of the 2006 Shen Family Foundation Award for leadership in the musical theater and is the Director of the Music Theater Initiative at the Public Theater as well as the Creative Director of the 24-Hour Musicals.
Andrew Palermo (Musical Staging) is the Co-Founding Artistic Director of dre.dance, a contemporary dance company. Theatrical direction and choreography includes: Allegiance (The Old Globe), Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall, The Frank Loesser Songbook/New York Philharmonic (Lincoln Center), The Mikado (Carnegie Hall), The Aluminum Show (international tour), V-Day (Urban Stages), Journey to the West (37 Arts), Esther Demsack (SPF/The Public Theater), DanceBreak (Joan Weill Center for Dance), Ace (The Old Globe, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Bright Lights, Big City (Prince Music Theater), Vices (Theatre Aspen), Aida (Music Theater Wichita), Man of La Mancha (Sacramento Music Circus) and numerous university credits.
The Other Josh Cohen design team includes:
David Korins’ (Scenic Design) Broadway credits include Motown, Annie, Bring It On, Chinglish, An Evening with Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin, Magic/Bird, Godspell, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Lombardi, Passing Strange and Bridge and Tunnel. Korins has worked extensively both Off-Broadway and regionally. In 2011, Korins served as Kanye West’s creative director designing several concerts in the United States and abroad. Korins has been the production designer for several feature films, television specials and series on NBC, CBS, HBO, Bravo TV, IFC, Comedy Central, Lifetime and the Game Show Network. Korins received a Drama Desk Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, three Henry Hewes Awards and the 2009 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design. Korins designed the scenery for Godspell and The Diary of Anne Frank at Paper Mill Playhouse.
Jennifer Caprio (Costume Design) designed the costumes for the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off Broadway credits include: In Transit (Primary Stages), Modern Living and Post Modern Living (LaMama ETC), Signs of Life: A Tale of Terezin and Wanda’s World (Amas), Fugitive Songs (Dreamlight Productions), Two Rooms (Theatre Row), Masked (DR2 Theatre), Striking 12 (The Daryl Roth Theatre),Girl’s Room starring Donna McKechnie and Carol Lawrence (Queens Theatre in the Park also LA) and The Atheist (Center Stages, starring Star Trek‘s Chris Pine).
Jen Schriever (Lighting Design) provided lighting design for the Broadway production of Ghetto Klown. Off Broadway credits include: Sunset Baby (LAByrinth), Inner Voices: Solo Musicals (Urban Stages), The Other Josh Cohen (SoHo Playhouse), Conference of the Birds, Taming of the Shrew (Folger, DC), Bullet for Adolf (New World Stages), Triassic Parq (SoHo Playhouse), Hello Again (cap 21), Stuffed and UnStrung (Union Square) and An Evening Without Monty Python (Town Hall). Schriever was nominated for a Russian Golden Mask Award for Lighting Design of Britten’s Midsummer at the Mariinksy Theatre in Saint Petersburg.
Randy Hansen (Sound Design) serves as Paper Mill Playhouse’s resident sound designer. Over the past twenty-five years, Hansen has designed hundreds of musicals, plays, and live events all over the country.
Amanda Miller (Hair and Wig Design) creates custom wigs, hairpieces, facial hair, and hair extensions on commission from her TriBeCa wigshop. Offering full concept design in wigs, hair, and makeup for theater, television, film productions, and red carpet events, Miller recently designed wigs, hair, and makeup for Broadway’s Cyrano de Bergerac and Marie Antionette at Soho Rep. Miller’s wig designs can be seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and David O. Russell’s American Hustle on the big screen, as well as the television series “Unforgettable,” “Blue Bloods,” “Homeland,” “The Following” and “Orange is the New Black”. She is the 2012 New York Women in Film and Television’s Designing Women Hair Design Honoree.
The Production Stage Manager is Gary Mickelson (Broadway’s First Date, Memphis, Gypsy; Paper Mill’s Lend Me a Tenor).
Free Audience Enrichment Activities for The Other Josh Cohen
Wed. February 19, 6:30pm, Art Gallery, Director’s Viewpoint
Enjoy coffee on us as Director Ted Sperling discusses The Other Josh Cohen.
Conversation Club, Learn more about the show you are about to see, led by members of Paper Mill’s Artistic and Education Departments.
Thurs. February 20, 6:30pm, Mezzanine,
Thurs. February 27
Thurs. March 6
Thurs. March 13
Sat. March 15, Following Matinee, Orchestra, Q&A with the Cast
Meet the cast and ask actors questions about the show or the role they are portraying.
PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country’s leading regional theaters. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
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Lia Chang. Photo by Charles Richard Barboza
Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia will make her jazz vocalist debut on March 1, 2014, in Rome Neal’s Banana Puddin’ Jazz “LADY” at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York.
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