Paper Mill Playhouse marks 85 years of Broadway-caliber productions

MILLBURN, N.J. - The Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year.

It is one of the most acclaimed theaters in the country, and it's not on Broadway or in New York City.

"To have a theater in New Jersey that has a lot of history and, you know, great productions. It's kind of unique," Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole said.

The Paper Mill Playhouse opened back in 1938.

Uggams took her first Paper Mill bow in 1996 in a revival of Irving Berlin's "Call Me Madam" and Ebersole in the 1970s during a touring production of the musical "Shenandoah".

Ebersole would return two decades later with her name above the title in an acclaimed revival of the classic Jerry Herman musical "Mame."

"That was very special. And Jerry Herman, who came to the show. And was there, you know, I mean it. It's all rarefied air because, you know, also there's so many of these great composers and lyricists that are gone now. But I came in on the tail end of it, you know, so I got to experience it. I mean, it's unbelievable," Ebersole said.

This anniversary season kicked off with a new musical adaption of "The Great Gatsby", bringing Jeremy Jordan back to the stage that helped make him a star in "Newsies", and the theater's mission extends beyond the footlights.

Throughout the years, The Paper Mill has fostered the talents of generations of Broadway babies, including Anne Hathaway.

The Paper Mill has connected more than 40,000 students a year to the arts. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, with the drama off-stage threatening to rival the drama onstage.

A devastating fire burned the original theater to the ground in 1980 and in 2007 a financial crisis almost brought the curtain down forever.

Through the good and the bum times, the Paper Mill Playhouse is still here.

"I love that theater and I just hope it goes another 85 years because it's special. it's very, very special. And I've done a lot of theaters on the road and there's nothing like it," Uggams said.

The Paper Mill's current production, a revival of "Fiddler on the Roof", runs through Jan. 7, 2024.