Take The Lead

MILLBURN, NJ – February 18, 2025 – Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee, Producing Artistic Director;
Michael Stotts, Executive Director), recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is pleased to announce “Take a Ticket,” a new initiative introduced for the upcoming world premiere of Take the Lead.

Up to 1,000 tickets will be offered free of charge directly to ten local high schools and their students within New Jersey’s Essex County, home to Paper Mill Playhouse (22 Brookside Drive, Millburn, NJ), during the musical’s preview period (March 29th and April 2nd-6th at 7:30pm).

The initiative, a first for Paper Mill, aligns with Take the Lead’s inspiring story about the real-life work of Pierre Dulaine, a former professional ballroom dancer who brought dance into New York City public schools as a way to teach confidence, dignity, and creativity through the arts. The organization Dulaine founded in 1994, Dancing Classrooms, is still thriving and has served more than 700,000 K-12 students in NYC and around the world for over 30 years.

Set in the pulsating heart of New York City, Take the Lead is a joyful new musical based on the 2006 dance film that starred Antonio Banderas. This electrifying tale is the true story of Pierre Dulaine, a former professional dancer who, against all odds, brought the art of ballroom dance into New York City public schools. This world-premiere musical spotlights a dynamic fusion of ballroom and hip-hop in its music and choreography with a book by Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins (“Schmigadoon!”) and a score by Elliah Heifetz and Zeniba Now. Take the Lead is co-choreographed by Jennifer Weber (& Juliet) and Maria Torres (So You Think You Can Dance) and directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Death Becomes Her).

Take the Lead begins performances Saturday, March 29 ahead of a Sunday, April 6 opening night at Paper Mill Playhouse. The run continues through Sunday, April 27. Rehearsals began this week and a just-released photo of the company can be downloaded HERE.

Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director of Paper Mill Playhouse) said, “Access to the arts and arts education is invaluable, especially for young people. Paper Mill strives to entertain, inspire, and enrich lives through theater and welcoming local students to Take the Lead will do exactly that.”

Mike Stotts (Executive Director of Paper Mill Playhouse) said, “While Paper Mill has always valued accessibility, we are thrilled to speak directly to high schools in our area and invite them in. We know they are going to love Take the Lead.”

The initiative, a first for Paper Mill, aligns with Take the Lead’s inspiring story about the real-life work of Pierre Dulaine, a former professional ballroom dancer who brought dance into New York City public schools as a way to teach confidence, dignity, and creativity through the arts. The organization Dulaine founded in 1994, Dancing Classrooms, is still thriving and has served more than 700,000 K-12 students in NYC and around the world for over 30 years.

Set in the pulsating heart of New York City, T ake the Lead  is a joyful new musical based on the 2006 dance film that starred Antonio Banderas. This electrifying tale is the true story of Pierre Dulaine, a former professional dancer who, against all odds, brought the art of ballroom dance into New York City public schools. This world-premiere musical spotlights a dynamic fusion of ballroom and hip-hop in its music and choreography with a book by  Robert Cary and Jonathan Tolins (“Schmigadoon!”) and a score by Elliah Heifetz and Zeniba Now. Take the Lead is co-choreographed by Jennifer Weber (& Juliet) and Maria Torres (So You Think You Can Dance) and directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Death Becomes Her).

Paper Mill Playhouse also offers a wide variety of accessible ticket initiatives for every Mainstage production, including $20 student tickets; $30 Under 30 tickets; and discounts for veterans and military personnel, first responders, educators, and through New Jersey’s Families First Discovery Pass for those enrolled in state assistance programs. More information can be found at www.papermill.org/discounts.

The cast features former 3LW and Cheetah Girls member Adrienne Bailon-Houghton as Arianna, Vincent Jamal Hooper (Hamilton, The Lion King) as Rock, Savy Jackson (Bad Cinderella, Once On This Island First National Tour) as La Rhette, Tam Mutu (Doctor Zhivago, Moulin Rouge! The Musical) as Pierre Dulaine, and Matthew Risch (Modern Family, How to Get Away With Murder) as Alan. The ensemble also includes Eric Ascione, Brandon O’Neal Bomer, Megan Elyse Fulmer, Gaelen Gilliland, David Jennings, Dillon Lehman, Natalia Nieves-Melchor, Justin O’Brien, Kevin Trinio Perdido, Ryan Raffloer, Deon Releford-Lee, Cristian “Chino” Rodriguez, Kiki Rodriguez, Jonalyn Saxer, Tatiana Seliverstova, SeQuoiia, Grace Slear, Salome Smith, Stephani Sosa, Christian Whan, and Zoë Zimmerman.

The creative team also includes music supervision by Bill Sherman, music direction by Geoffrey Ko, and orchestrations and arrangements by Bill Sherman and Geoffrey Ko. Scenic design is by Paul Tate DePoo III, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Justin Townsend and Nick Solyom, sound design by Walter Trarbach, and hair, wig and makeup design by Earon Chew Nealey. The production stage manager is Molly Meg Legal and casting is by The Telsey Office.

Take the Lead is based on the New Line Cinema film written by Dianne Houston, by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

The Bye Family New Works Fund is the Marquee Sponsor.

Currently playing at Paper Mill, the new musical Mystic Pizza runs through Sunday, February 23. Following Take the Lead, the 2024-2025 season concludes with Disney’s The Little Mermaid (May 29-June 29).

ACCESSIBILITY

AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Sunday, April 20 at 1:30pm and Saturday, April 26 at 1:30pm.

OPEN-CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES are scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at 1:30pm and Sunday, April 27 at 7:00pm.

An ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE is scheduled for Sunday, April 27 at 7:00pm.

ABOUT PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE, recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Executive Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on to Broadway and launched national tours, including The Great Gatsby, Disney’s Newsies, Bandstand, Honeymoon in Vegas, A Bronx Tale, and Les Misérables (25th Anniversary production). The theater is also the home to an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation’s premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, 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.