Sunday night at the press opening, I got a chance to meet and chat with Mark Jones, the new executive director at Paper Mill. Seems to be an upbeat guy with a clear understanding of the challenges.
He told me in effect, without being prompted by a specific question, that (to paraphrase) the board of trustees must get more actively involved and that being on the board is more than coming to a few meetings and shaking hands.
That's a good place to start, although he's going to have to accomplish that without antagonizing them, since they have some say about whether he gets to keep the job.
Of course, given the current state of affairs, if this executive director doesn't get the job done, there may not be a next executive director. So let's wish him good luck and good reviews.
"Meet me in St. Louis" is a mixed bag, very nicely done but not terribly exciting or engrossing. The draft of my review, to publish Friday, follows. Let me know what you think.
If you want to go:
What: “Meet n St. Louis”
When: through Dec. 16
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New Jersey holiday theater season officially began last week with the premiere of “Meet Me in St. Louis” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. Based on the popular 1944 MGM musical, this revival of the 1987 musical may not be a holiday show in the truest sense, but it does generate the appropriate warmth and happiness we hope to receive form the season.
And, while Halloween gets as much stage time as Christmas, “Meet Me in St. Louis is the source of one of our most beloved holiday songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” one of many melodies that will stick with you long after the final curtain.
Certainly, the music carries the night, as 20 minutes of plot is stretched beyond natural limits. The time is the year before the St. Louis World’s Fair (known accurately as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), and the town is buzzing in anticipation. The Smith family children are excited about the coming fair, but there’s more important work for the time-being. Eldest daughter Rose (Julia Osborne) is busy putting up token resistance with her Ivy League boyfriend, Warren (Patrick Cummings), while Esther (Brynn O’Malley), a junior in high school, is trying to catch the eye of John (Brian Hissong), her handsome new neighbor.
Two younger daughters, Tootie (Sophie Rudin) and Agnes (Roni Caggiano), stir up some innocent trouble, while Lon (Christian Deacroix), the only son, is preparing for college at Princeton.
Throw in some flirting, a few dances and you’ve got the whole story. Alonso (Gregg Edelman), the stuffy dad, startles the family with a pending move to New York City, but the drama is as thin as the rest of the plot.
The pleasures of “Meet Me in St. Louis” lay more in spending a few easy hours in an easier time and place. Perhaps we spend too much time in the family’s home (scenic designer has fashioned a colorful and functional Victorian that opens and closes like a blooming flower), relegating an energetic ensemble to the wings for 90 percent of the night.
What: “Meet n St. Louis”
When: through Dec. 16
Where: Paper Mill Playhouse, Brookside Drive, Millburn
How much: $25-92
Info: (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The New Jersey holiday theater season officially began last week with the premiere of “Meet Me in St. Louis” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. Based on the popular 1944 MGM musical, this revival of the 1987 musical may not be a holiday show in the truest sense, but it does generate the appropriate warmth and happiness we hope to receive form the season.
And, while Halloween gets as much stage time as Christmas, “Meet Me in St. Louis is the source of one of our most beloved holiday songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” one of many melodies that will stick with you long after the final curtain.
Certainly, the music carries the night, as 20 minutes of plot is stretched beyond natural limits. The time is the year before the St. Louis World’s Fair (known accurately as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), and the town is buzzing in anticipation. The Smith family children are excited about the coming fair, but there’s more important work for the time-being. Eldest daughter Rose (Julia Osborne) is busy putting up token resistance with her Ivy League boyfriend, Warren (Patrick Cummings), while Esther (Brynn O’Malley), a junior in high school, is trying to catch the eye of John (Brian Hissong), her handsome new neighbor.
Two younger daughters, Tootie (Sophie Rudin) and Agnes (Roni Caggiano), stir up some innocent trouble, while Lon (Christian Deacroix), the only son, is preparing for college at Princeton.
Throw in some flirting, a few dances and you’ve got the whole story. Alonso (Gregg Edelman), the stuffy dad, startles the family with a pending move to New York City, but the drama is as thin as the rest of the plot.
The pleasures of “Meet Me in St. Louis” lay more in spending a few easy hours in an easier time and place. Perhaps we spend too much time in the family’s home (scenic designer has fashioned a colorful and functional Victorian that opens and closes like a blooming flower), relegating an energetic ensemble to the wings for 90 percent of the night.
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