By John Ardoin

Built on the site of a former paper mill, Paper Mill Playhouse was founded in 1934. The Playhouse's premiere performance ("The Kingdom of God" by Martinez Sierra) was on November 14, 1938, and the stage has seen a wide variety of works since then, including, interestingly enough, a decade of specializing in operettas. The theater grew in stature and popularity over the years, and in 1972 Governor William Cahill deemed it the "Official State Theatre of New Jersey." Though struck by a fire in 1980, Paper Mill reopened in 1982 with "Robert & Elizabeth." Since then, it has continued to present an assortment of plays and musicals to an audience of more than 450,000 people annually.

Throughout its history, the Playhouse has produced an extraordinary number of notable plays and musicals, featuring some of the finest talent in the business. In 1956, for example, Lillian and Dorothy Gish shared the stage for "The Chalk Garden." Seven years later, Carol Channing captivated the audience in George Bernard Shaw's "The Millionairess"; this performance is said to have earned her the Broadway lead in "Hello, Dolly!" Also, George Grizzard, Pat Hingle, Piper Larie, and Maureen Stapleton took "The Glass Menagerie" to Broadway in 1965.

Recent years have seen similar achievements by the Playhouse. The legendary Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst combined their formidable talents for "You Can't Take It with You" in 1983, a production that later moved to the Kennedy Center and Broadway, eventually airing on GREAT PERFORMANCES. The 1986 presentation of "Inherit the Wind," starring E.G. Marshall and Robert Vaughn, won the Grand Prize of Showtime's "Search for Excellence in American Theatre" project. In 1989, the Playhouse's "Show Boat" was broadcast on GREAT PERFORMANCES and earned two Emmy Award nominations. In 1999, "Crazy for You" continued the tradition of Paper Mill productions to be presented on television by GREAT PERFORMANCES.

This production of "Crazy for You" features Jim Walton in the role of Bobby Child and Stacey Logan as Polly Baker, along with Jane Connell as Mother, Bruce Adler as Bela Zangler, and Larry Linville playing Everett Baker. The cast also includes Sandy Edgerton (as Irene Roth), Jeb Brown (Lank Hawkins), Mia Price (Patsy), Mylina Hull (Tess), Geoffrey Wade (Eugene), and Amelia White (Patricia).

The 1999-2000 season at Paper Mill Playhouse offers "Mame," "Noises Off," "The Student Prince," "Rags," "Deathtrap," and "Pippin."