REVIEW: Paper Mill celebrates ‘Jolly Holiday’ season with Disney favs
Photo: A Jolly Holiday: Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits is now playing at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Photo courtesy of Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made / Provided by The Press Room with permission.
MILLBURN, N.J. — The Paper Mill Playhouse, one of the most important regional theaters in the country, has put together a delightful theatrical treat for audiences of all ages this holiday season. Their newly opened show, A Jolly Holiday: Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits, is a showcase of wondrous singing from a quintet of eminently impressive performers. They gather around a large decorated tree, with oversized presents and glistening snow, and belt out Disney tune after Disney tune, hitting each of the highlights in the storied history of Mickey Mouse’s legacy in the theater world.
Over the course of two hours, the cast filters through songs as varied as “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast to “Hakuna Matata” from The Lion King. Each and every one of the audience favorites are present and accounted for, including Newsies, which originated at Paper Mill, and Tarzan, The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins. They even take a deep dive into shows that haven’t quite made it to Midtown Manhattan yet, musicals like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules. A finale that features songs from Frozen is a fitting conclusion to a merry and enthusiasm-injected evening of marvelous musical interpretation.
The cast members are truly the ones who make this show work as well as it does. Major Attaway has many excellent numbers throughout the evening, but no doubt his standing-ovation-earning rendition of the Genie’s “Friend Like Me” is a highlight (he also played the part on Broadway). Dan DeLuca appeared on the national tour of Newsies, and he sells the numbers in that beloved musical with skill and seeming ease. Kara Lindsay, an alumna of Newsies herself, has a powerful voice that is brought to bear on everything from “A Change in Me” from Beauty and the Beast to “Part of Your World” from A Little Mermaid. Jarran Muse, who offers a tap dance during the evening, is particularly powerful with “Out There” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, which he duets with the fifth and final cast member, Kissy Simmons. As a performer, Simmons appeared for several years as Nala in The Lion King on Broadway, and for A Jolly Holiday she belts out “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “You’ll Be in My Heart,” among many others.
Sandy Rustin provides the book for the revue-style show. There are tales of each musical in between the singing selections, and there is special mention of the Paper Mill Playhouse’s unique role in shepherding a couple of the shows to the stage. Kenny Ingram choreographs the dance numbers, which are limited, but fitting. Most of the time the performers are dancing in unison, moving their bodies to the rhythms and beats of the band, who sit on stage under the baton of Geoffrey Ko. Keeping each of these elements together and moving along at a nice clip is director Casey Hushion.
It’s hard to point to favorite moments for a show that is built of many beloved classics. One person’s “Chim Chim Cher-ee” is another person’s “Go the Distance.” For this reviewer, there was special pleasure in the title song from Beauty and the Beast, “Zero to Hero” from Hercules and “Santa Fe” from Newsies. It’s also hard to compete with the final five tunes from Frozen because they are so well known and so appreciated by the audience, and, yes, it should come as no surprise that “Let It Go” finishes the evening.
Disney has changed the landscape of musical theater forever. The company’s shows have a continual presence on Broadway — including right now with Aladdin and The Lion King — and they provide the soundtrack to many children’s lives. It’s a special pleasure, one perfectly suited for the holiday season, to hear so many of their rousing numbers in one evening, sung by talented performers who couple energy with emotion to pull off stunning interpretations for the joy-filled audience.
A Jolly Holiday is exactly what the world needs right now.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A Jolly Holiday: Celebrating Disney’s Broadway Hits plays through Jan. 2 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
