Millburn, New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse opened its new production of THE OTHER JOSH COHEN with wit, flair and style Sunday night. Known more often for larger-scale productions that are more of the lavish type and often Broadway-bound, the company this time presents a smaller scale, pop-rock style show, and it works.
THE OTHER JOSH COHEN follows our title character, inevitably down on his luck, particularly in the romance department, and, even as the show begins (take note of the set before the curtain drops at the show’s beginning) must put up with one misfortune after another.
When the curtain rises we see that Josh’s New York City apartment has been burglarized, relieving him of all of his worldly possessions – except for a few key items that, to avoid spoiling the plot, are better left unmentioned. Let’s just say that Neil Diamond, “Star Wars” and a famous chocolate maker are interwoven quite successfully throughout.
When he finally seems to stumble onto a bit of luck – a letter in the mail containing a sizable check from an “Irma Cohen” who Josh hopes is a long lost relative – it turns out, as you might have guessed, it is intended for the OTHER Josh Cohen.
Not only are there two Josh Cohens to make our story interesting, there is a third. Our down-on-his-luck Josh interacts throughout the show with his older (and wiser) future self, giving us glimpses of the direction in which Josh might be headed. Played by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, also the show’s creators, the two Joshes interact convincingly with each other as well as with a cast of characters from various stages in Josh’s (as well as the OTHER Josh’s) life.
Under the direction of Ted Sperling and musical staging by Andrew Palermo, the rest of our cast – Hannah Elless, Vadim Feichtner, Cathryn Salamone, Ken Triwush and Kate Wetherhead – are not only tasked with portraying a multitude of characters each, but along with Rossmer and Rosen, attack multiple musical instruments while on stage as well. This is a very well organized and talented group. Not only musically, but they’re funny!
The book is clever and draws you in, the music is quick and smart (pay attention to the lyrics), and as the show progresses you will begin to see the story unfold. Josh, (the first Josh Cohen) who we thought was down on his luck, might actually be a winner in the end. The moral of the story? Well, you’ll figure it out.
THE OTHER JOSH COHEN is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission, and moves quickly. The show runs through March 16th with the following performance schedule: Wednesday at 7:30PM, Thursday at 1:30PM and 7:30PM, Friday at 8:0PM, Saturday at 1:30PM and 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:30PM and 7:00PM.
Tickets are on sale now and range from $27 to $98. Tickets may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 40% discount on tickets and should call 973.315.1680.
