originally published: 06/19/2024

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced a full summer of programming at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House as part of Carriage House Presents: Summer Nights. Broadway stars Karen Mason and Nicholas Rodriguez will headline Front Row Center, a new Broadway cabaret series in an intimate setting, with one additional star to be announced. Karen Mason will perform on Friday, July 19th and Saturday, July 20th at 7:30pm. Nicholas Rodriguez will perform on Friday, August 23rd and Saturday, August 24th at 7:30pm.

Additional programming for the series includes Best Men Trivia hosts Pop Culture: Broadway & Entertainment Trivia; and Without a Cue Productions brings their all-new Golden Girls Murder Mystery. Other evenings will feature live music including pianist Joe Regan and jazz trio The Jazz Faction. See the full calendar at PaperMill.org.

Tickets for Front Row Center are $60 per guest with a $60 three-course prix-fixe meal to be paid for in person on the night of the event. Beverages, tax, and gratuity are not included in the prix-fixe total. Tickets for Golden Girls Murder Mystery are $40 per guest with a $60 three-course prix-fixe meal to be paid for in person on the night of the event. Beverages, tax, and gratuity are not included in the prix-fixe total. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, online at www.PaperMill.org, or at the box office.

Reservations are suggested but not required for Best Men Trivia, Piano Bar with Joe Regan and The Jazz Faction Trio.

The Carriage House Restaurant & Bar at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House Summer Hours begin July 10th with the kitchen & bar open Wednesday through Saturday from 4pm to 10pm featuring outdoor dining, an a la carte menu and frozen drink specials.

 

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Karen Mason most recently played Mrs. Marsh on Ryan Murphy’s “Halston” on Netflix, and was last seen as Madame Giry in the North American premiere of Love Never Dies (Lloyd Webber’s sequel to The Phantom of the Opera). On Broadway, Mason starred as The Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, and originated the role of Tanya in Mamma Mia! (2002 Drama Desk nomination, Best Actress). Additionally, she appeared as Norma Desmond in ALW’s Sunset Boulevard on Broadway and in Los Angeles; Velma von Tussle in the Broadway company of Hairspray; and the “Monotony” singer, Mazeppa in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. On tour and regionally, Mason starred in Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz (Paper Mill Playhouse); A Christmas Story as Miss Shields; White Christmas (St. Louis Muny Opera); Gypsy (Sundance Theatre & Muny); and Company (Huntington Theatre). Mason won the Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of And The World Goes ‘Round. She is a 14-time MAC Award winner, was the recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as three Bistro Awards. Her eight albums include the single, “It’s About Time,” written by Paul Rolnick and Shelly Markham; Let The Music Play; Right Here/ Right Now; The Sweetest of Nights; When The Sun Comes Out; Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!; Better Days (featuring the 1998 Emmy Award-winning song “Hold Me”); and Not So Simply Broadway. She also appeared on the cast recordings of Wonderland (original cast); Jeffrey; Wonderful Town; and And The World Goes Round.

Nicholas Rodriguez is a 2024 Grammy nominee. He has had an extensive career on Broadway, film, and the concert stage. He has been seen at Paper Mill Playhouse in Holiday Inn, Some Enchanted Evening and several Brookside Cabarets. Broadway: Tarzan, Company. National Tour: The Sound of Music, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Hair. Off-Broadway: The Toxic Avenger: The Musical, Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver, Death for Five Voices, Colette Collage, and Bajour. TV/Film: “Sex and the City 2”, “Tommy”, “Madam Secretary'', “One Life to Live'' (GLAAD Award). He has performed with multiple symphony orchestras around the world including Carnegie Hall, The Boston Pops and Lincoln Center. Nicholas is the Artistic Director of The Broadway Dreams Foundation.

Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change.

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.

 

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