Paper Mill Playhouse to Put On Pirates!

The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey has announced plans to go ahead with its production of the new musical Pirates!, to run June 7-July 8, as local financial institutions, community leaders, and members of the Playhouse’s board have put together a plan to revitalize the struggling institution. As reported earlier this year, the Playhouse began the season with a $2.8 million deficit, which has not been fully taken care of as of this writing.

Under the new plan, the Playhouse will receive a “significant” loan from the Investors Savings Bank; the Board of Trustees and other business leaders have offered increased financial support and will help identify and recruit guarantors for the loan; and officials in Millburn are taking steps to enable the township to financially participate in and support the preservation of the theater.

In the weeks since the Playhouse first announced its financial difficulties, the Playhouse has received over $1 million in donations from individuals, and ticket sales have surged. However, no definite announcement has been made about the 2007-2008 season.

Pirates!, which is based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, will be directed by Gordon Greenberg, who co-conceived the project with librettist Nell Benjamin and music director John McDaniel. The show will be choreographed by Warren Carlyle. Official casting has yet to be announced.