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Watch a Sneak Peek from Broadway-Bound CAN-CAN at Paper Mill Playhouse, with Kate Baldwin, Jason Danieley & More!
Nov 8, 2022
Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide. This fresh new production features direction by David Lee (Frasier, Cheers) and choreography by Patti Colombo (Paper Mill's Peter Pan, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). The show features a book by Abe Burrows (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) and a re-crafted script by Joel Fields (Ugly Betty, The Americans) and David Lee. Can-Can's score features some of Cole Porter's timeless classics including 'I Love Paris,' 'C'est Magnifique,' 'It's All Right With Me' and more. Paper Mill Playhouse is launching this Broadway-bound production of Cole Porter's classic musical with producing partner Jonathan Burrows. Can-Can will play the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from October 1 through October 26, 2014.
The company just met the press to preview the new production and you can check out a sneak peek and interviews with the whole team below!
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
0:02
The famed Paper Mill Hill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey, kicks off their fall season with the Broadway-bound revival
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of the classic Cold Porter musical Can Can. Directed by David Lee, it stars Kate Baldwin and Jason Danieli
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We drop by the rehearsal room to meet the company, bring you a sneak peek
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and I have an interview with a star of the original 1952 production, Lilo
0:30
This is a lot! Here we go
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I'm sorry, if you want to see more, you don't have to buy a ticket
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This was so exciting for us. I mean, you saw me sitting out there. me sitting out there. What was it like for you, gentlemen, to open the rehearsal room and have an
1:02
audience today? It's really, it's really something to see this come alive with, with an audience
1:09
You see them doing it in front of the mirror, and then you see them doing with people responding
1:14
It's really electric. Yeah, you're finally reminded of why you're doing it. After sitting in for a
1:21
couple of weeks, just, you know, correcting mistakes and being the tough dad, and all of a sudden you go
1:26
okay, show them. And it's like, it's like, it's like a couple of weeks. It's like, it's like a couple of weeks. Just, you know
1:28
all of a sudden, your baby plays beautifully. It's like, oh, my God, this is really great, right
1:32
Because they're just doing it for you mostly. Right, right. Our baby is very good
1:38
Oh, your baby is great. Take me back to the beginning. I mean, this has been a long journey for you with Can Can Build of you, right
1:45
Right. Right after 9-11, I suffered some personal losses besides the losses we all suffered
1:50
and I was looking for something to sort of cheer me up. And I had always loved Can-Can and always suspected that maybe there might be
1:58
something to be done with it. And so I called Joel up
2:02
and said, wouldn't it be fun just for the joy of it
2:07
What do you do for the joy of it anymore? To do this. And he went, I'll do it for the joy of it
2:12
So we had 13 years of joy to get to this point
2:17
Paris, why do I love Paris? Because my love
2:28
Because my love is me. This was so exciting for me
2:47
What was it like for you opening the rehearsal room and letting us see these numbers
2:51
Oh, completely nerve-wracking. You're the first audience we've had, and we've only had ourselves to make laugh
2:58
ourselves to make clap. And so seeing the delight on everybody's face was really a relief and
3:06
exciting and is a hopefully an omen of good things to come
3:10
Yeah. Tell me why you wanted to do this. This is one of my all-time favorite musicals
3:15
How this came about for you and this role. Yeah. I got approached about coming in and singing for the role, I think probably back
3:21
in March, February or March. And I listened to Lilo. I listened to the original recording
3:27
and fell in love with the songs, and fell in love with her quality, her Shantus, French-flavored
3:37
gutter-roll, I got a roll such an ugly word because it's such a pretty sound
3:40
a full-throated kind of sound. And I thought, hmm, I wonder if I can do that
3:45
And I went down into my basement while my three-year-old was sleeping upstairs and tried to like figure it out
3:50
And I could do it. And I thought, oh, this is a really great, this role feels like a transition for me
3:56
It feels like a transition to like leading lady you know who maybe has a bit of a history
4:02
who isn't a goody two shoes as we've seen from Kate Baldwin before
4:06
and this score what a gorgeous score I love Paris talk about the songs you get to sing
4:13
well they're deceptive because I always think of Cole Porter as the clever witty lyricist
4:19
and he certainly is but then he can write a melody that just tugs at your heart
4:24
and songs like I Love Paris and uh... c'est maniique and we also added a song called
4:33
who said gay who said gay paris which was not I think in the original
4:37
but it's a beautiful cold border song that everybody who hears it goes
4:41
oh my gosh that's cold porter I love it but then you have those beautiful character comedy songs like every man is a stupid man
4:47
which we use very differently in our production do you tell me
4:52
I don't know I don't want to give too much away but there's there's a
4:55
it has a sort of inside joke tenderness about it rather than it being a bawdy
5:02
rabble-rouser kind of song. Oh, I love that. Because there's a whole new book for this production
5:07
It's 90% rewritten from the original and it's really fresh and funny. And so when I read it
5:13
and I laughed out loud, I thought, I would really like to try this. Why does my hand keep doing that
5:20
You really had it fast for him, don't you? What do I want to do
5:25
When I have a problem, confounds my heart and seems ugly and soluble
5:30
I always follow one simple room. I changed the subject. So here we are
5:36
How exciting was today for you? It was a thrill. You know, we've been in rehearsals
5:41
just b with delight, and the opportunity to share this with people
5:45
who haven't seen it before is thrilling. We really can't wait to get it all on stage
5:49
The design elements are incredible. We haven't even added those yet. I really, I don't think I've ever been
5:55
in a more highly anticipated production. It's so excited. This show lives in your bones The comedy the A Burroughs book the new book I mean talk about the role what you love about him so far Well I play John Wee I mean what I love about him is that while people are flipping and dancing and twirling their guts out I just get to stand there and be sarcastic
6:14
And it's an easy job. But I love Jean-Louis because he just doesn't get ruffled
6:21
And he's always just the driest one in the room. And it's, I don't know, I just love him
6:27
I love him. He's a great part. And working here at Paper Mill again? Paper Mill has become sort of my favorite place to go
6:34
I played Tenardier in the Tour of Les Mis, which started at Paper Mill, and that was glorious, of course
6:40
and went back to do the most hilarious production of Lenmea Tenor ever
6:45
And, in fact, Mark Price, who's in our cast, was in that. I always say that the guys who run Paper Mill, they're not just businessmen, they also love theater
6:54
They deeply love theater, and they get theater, and they know what makes it great
7:00
And their enthusiasm and their support for this production has been immeasurable
7:05
I know this is sort of new. It's only been like a little over two weeks worth of rehearsal. What is the biggest thrill been for you so far with working on Cancan
7:13
You've asked me a very hard question. You know, the reason I'm stumbling is because every day there's been some new thrill
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The orchestrations by Steve Orich. the costume designs by Anne Hold Ward
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I mean, every day, honestly, I can't pick one thing that's the best thing about it
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because every day there's something exciting. Can I look to read and see when you need
7:42
You can laugh when you please. You can raise when you please
7:47
You can know everything but fine. You can watch when you please
7:54
You can see when you can be. I love these behavior. You can't merge and you'll take a chance
8:03
You can put on and take on your pants when you think yes
8:07
I love these, that you grew everything? I know, they're huge. Yeah
8:14
I'm not exactly sure. I usually wear a Van , you know. But yeah, I had a big mustache for the visit
8:20
And now, Anne Hold Ward, who is costuming us for Can-Can, costumed me for secondhand
8:27
Lyons last year, also the visit. So she just keeps changing hairstyles. I'm like, as long as
8:33
as I keep working, I don't care what I have on my face. So what does the Mrs. think of this
8:37
the new look you come home with every few months? She loves it
8:42
Yeah, it's a lot of fun. She's not quite sure about the mustache wax, because I have
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to keep twisting it. I didn't know there was so much work involved. Yeah
8:49
I love it. Welcome to Cancan. Thank you. Great role of support. Tell me
8:54
about it. Yeah, Aristide, Forrestier. It's a mouthful that name. It is, but it's sort of like liquid
9:02
It feels very rich, which I love. You know, I think he can be a typical, he's a judge
9:11
and he's supposed to be the conflict. He's the judge who comes in and says
9:16
you can't dance the can, it's against the law. But we're having so much fun with the script
9:21
You know, you have to really, David and Joel, David Lee and Joel Fields really wanted to
9:27
establish the relationship that Pistache and Aristide had when they were kids in the south of France
9:35
And she leaves to come to Paris to make her fame. And he kind of comes up a few years later
9:43
Maybe looking for her, we're not sure. So the chemistry is fantastic
9:50
Working with Kate, she's incredible. And this is such a classic musical
9:54
I mean, talk about the beautiful score, just the comedy in this. Oh, yeah
9:58
I think that was one of the definite things that they wanted to do with the script
10:03
was to keep it true to what Abe Burroughs originally wrote. So the structure is exactly the way Abe did it
10:09
But they just updated the text. And so it's clearly from like the 1950s
10:18
unabashed musical comedy. And it is. The score is exquisite. And I think very few people
10:24
except for maybe yourself, who know Kent can inside and out. And there are gems
10:29
I am in love, which I get to sing. I didn't know, and it's this glorious love song
10:34
I think there are going to be gems for people. And then the comedy, David Lee was one of the creators of Frazier
10:41
So his hand with that sophisticated urban humor, I think perfectly matches Cole's lyrics beautifully
10:54
Unless you want to have a wonderful light Unless you want to have a wonderful light
11:02
Unless you want to have a wonderful life Wonderful life Wonderful line
11:12
It's only operation lighting You need a coffee stack You guys are like the three stooges
11:20
That's what Jason said I love doing that number with you guys They are the perfect three stooges
11:24
All right. Did you know each other before this? Have you worked together before
11:28
We were friends from childhood. That's right. No. No. We all worked together for the very first time doing the workshop last July
11:37
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we've stuck together since then. There's some on-stage chemistry that's lasted since then
11:43
It's in our writers. Yeah. All right. Talk about playing these roles. This is pure comedy from the A. Burrough School
11:50
I mean, what this has been like working on these guys and figuring them out together
11:54
Frank? There's a high-end theater question. Yes, yeah, yeah. Well, something that's so lovely about the kind of atmosphere that David and the rest of the
12:03
creatives have made is that it's so free. And you know he said on the very first day he said everybody talks and it such an it the perfect sentiment for comedy especially when you hired like such theater monsters as we have in this room You three Yes Well not I mean everybody else as well but mostly
12:23
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, but, but, but there, there is something about, about that freedom in the room that, that, that, that, that, that, it can't live without
12:33
A lot of laughs. A lot of laughs. I mean, it's, it's been just so much fun to play with just people and just bounce stuff off each other and, and, and, yeah, a lot of fun
12:40
Especially what we do in the show. I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like if it was, you know, serioso. That would be absolute torture with a piece like this
12:50
With this particular piece, it's like you have a license to laugh at silly things. You know, the comedy is smart, but it's also really silly and just fun
12:59
And all of our comedy is based in truth. It's almost Czechovian, you know, what we do
13:04
It's very serious. It's very serious. It's very serious work. Can-can, the play
13:09
Yes, yeah, yeah. Exclamation point. You have David Lee, the master of comedy, Joel, the same thing
13:15
Then you have Patty Columbo's incredible choreography, the number we saw today
13:19
I mean, you guys are perfect in that. How long did it take you to work on that? Two hours
13:24
And we had it. Yeah, this morning. Yeah, we just threw that together this morning
13:28
20 minutes. That's right. That was actually... One of the things, I mean, you see what she does with dancers
13:34
And, I mean, she has such a reputation for just incredible high-flying physical choreography
13:38
But she also worked so well with... with character movers, you know, character dancers like ourselves
13:43
I don't know what you're talking about. Well, he's on point. He was with the Kirov Ballet for years
13:48
15? Yeah, I left. 16? You're right. You defected. That's right. I left
13:53
You guys have just started rehearsals like, what, two and a half weeks ago? Yeah. All right, so what's been the biggest thrill, seriously, so far with working on this new production of Cancad
14:01
I got to say, just everyone involved. It's just incredible. It's amazing to see everyone work in the room
14:07
And, you know, as we were saying before, how they work. well together with everyone. And also seeing Patty's work and David's work has just been an incredible
14:18
thrill. I mean, that can-can number alone is not for the faint of heart
14:40
In Hilton, Scottishland It's been gone through about you yet Maybe you can't Woo
14:54
This was so great. What was today like for you having an audience in the room today
14:58
It was very telling. It was very helpful. You know, when you rehearse things over and over again
15:03
Like, I thought this was supposed to be funny and they're not laughing anymore because they've heard it 100 times, you know
15:09
And also just to have. have that energy, have another energy in the room to help boost us to get us through, because
15:14
that number is a marathon. Yeah. That was great for us. I mean, what a great role
15:21
I spoke to Gwen Verdon many times about doing Can-Can. I mean, stepping
15:26
What is it like playing her so far, this role? Playing Claudine
15:32
I'm still figuring it out. To be completely honest with you, I'm still figuring her out
15:36
She's a little tricky because she's kind of the ingenue. but she's funny
15:42
and she loves her boyfriend but at the same time is trying to find her independence from him
15:49
so I'm still trying to figure out how to maneuver through all that
15:54
so once we start running the show I feel like I'm going to find her arc
15:58
a little bit more but it's so lovely and so fun and I love the challenge
16:05
I'm really really excited about it the dancing is incredible Talk about Patty's choreography
16:12
It's super athletic, which I love, as you know. I love anything that is actor-driven
16:18
I love telling a story. It helps you get through it. It helps you
16:22
You're in your brain the whole time, portraying the thoughts of the character to the audience
16:27
with your movement, and it just makes it so much simpler and cleaner and fun and enjoyable
16:34
And after that giant number that you just saw, I have the pleasure of doing an incredible tango
16:40
with Michael Boress that is to die for. It's delicious and he is incredible
16:48
I'm sorry that he wasn't here for you to see him dance, but oh my God, you guys are going to love it
16:54
It's so good. I love your work
17:13
I love your work. I love this show. How excited were you to today, opening the rehearsal room
17:39
and having an audience there today? It was thrilling. I mean, it's always, you know, you never know
17:47
I mean, you never really know until you have an audience. You don't. And I never am like, oh, this is going to be a slammed out, ever, ever
17:54
to the point where I never even sit in opening night. I cannot. I can't
17:59
I can't. It was thrilling and fun, really great, I think, for the cast, too
18:06
to hear people instead of, you know, when we're working, and we're all just working
18:10
So it was thrilling. And for you today? Oh my God, well, I was just so proud of the cast
18:16
I mean, they pulled it off. I mean they feeling a little broken right now and achy and sore and they been killing themselves And to hear that applause today I think was medicine for them You know they probably going home and going yeah I feel good today
18:31
Yeah. They actually came up and said, oh, my God. Because, you know, especially with what we do with dancers and actors, you know
18:39
everybody is a perfectionist. Anybody that goes in this business, A, is crazy and a perfectionist
18:44
And no matter if you feel it, you do feel it, I feel it
18:49
when I think there's something there. But especially for those kids, like John said
18:54
it's a very athletic show. And we've had literally two weeks of
19:00
you just saw one of the dances, there's a quadrille, there's two tangos
19:04
there's a posh, there's a novelty number. It's nuts, which I love
19:13
Talk about you two working together. I mean, how do you break it down, of who does what
19:17
There's so much dancing in this show. It's amazing. Oh, my, it's called act and react
19:23
She'll do something, I'll do something. She'll do something, I'll do something. And we'll put our orange rehearsal skirts on and go insane in a room
19:32
And it just comes out. I mean, we did this together seven years ago in Pasadena
19:37
So we brought it back. It also helps, I think, tremendously. And I say this for John, to be so comfortable with somebody
19:48
We've known each other. He's like my brother. And a brother is one thing, but a really talented brother
19:55
And we finish each other's sentences, vocabulary and dancing too. And we'll edit each other too
20:02
I mean, it's a real camaraderie. And it's hard as a writer, a choreographer, director, especially choreographer of writers
20:11
to go in and stare at yourself in the mirror with a blank page
20:15
You know that they say about writers or choreographers, too. You stare at each other, then you go to the refrigerator because you have no..
20:22
You know what I mean? Because, but what's great because of our history, we don't offend each other because we're just like Ying and Yang
20:31
And it's a real source of comfort to me and support. And we just work together and we have the same senses of humor
20:41
And we both believe very strongly in telling stories for dancing, not just for dance
20:45
Like, cancan, it's a can, can't, it's a can't, it's a can't. That's why we reinvented a lot with Steve Orichard arranger and stuff
20:52
What I love about what you've done is all your dancing is character-driven
20:56
I knew who every girl was in that line, and they were all different
21:01
So I wanted to tell you that. You know what? When we cast this, the callbacks was like an embarrassment of wealth
21:09
I mean, these incredible Broadway, New York dancers. But I kept saying, I do not want a faceless ensemble
21:18
I want actors. I look for dancers who act that really dance
21:24
But it's so great. I said, we both said, nobody, I feel, nobody's going to come to the show and go
21:30
who is that girl? Yeah. Or who is that boy? No. You know all their stories, just in what I saw in there today
21:37
I love you. Someone tell you that. How? Oh! How? How? How? How? How
22:12
How exciting was today for you, Lilo? Very excited. really. And I watched a rendition of Cancan that was different from Michael Kidd, and it was still
22:24
extraordinary nice and enthusiastic. So take me back. What are your memories of doing the original
22:32
Talk about working with Cole Porter, Abe Burroughs. What do you remember? I remember not speaking a word of English. I remember speaking high school German, and Abe Boroughs
22:46
was speaking Yiddish to me. Paul Porter never had a problem because he spoke French, so I never had
22:52
a problem. He never mixes either with librettos or anything like this. He only cares about his
22:57
lyrics and his music, so it was fine. And I remember the opening night
23:04
the most at the stage door where New York police on horseback
23:12
with white gloves on. And And taking Coldwater and myself just across the street to Sardis, I was a mighty interest
23:25
And playing this role, what you remember, this is such a beautiful score, and taking on this role what it meant to you
23:32
Oh, I loved the score. I love Corpenter. Actually, it's because of his name that I came over
23:39
Because the rest, I didn't know anything about anybody in this country or anything like this
23:44
So when they mentioned Cold Porter, it rang a bell, because begin, the begin, just came over to Europe in those days
23:51
And I said, wow, that's what I want to sing
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