Lenny Wolpe, Julia Duffy & Manoel Felciano to Lead The Outsider at Paper Mill Playhouse

Broadway veteran Lenny Wolpe (The Drowsy Chaperone) will take on the central role of Ned Newley in the East Coast premiere of Paul Slade Smith's new play The Outsider, directed by David Esbjornson, at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. Designing Women alum Julia Duffy will play Paige Caldwell with Tony nominee Manoel Felciano (Sweeney Todd) as Dave Riley. Performances are set to begin on January 24, 2018 for a limited run through February 18. Opening night is scheduled for January 28.

The Outsider is a timely and hilarious sendup of modern American politics. In the midst of a political scandal, Ned Newley (Wolpe), the ultimate policy wonk, is unexpectedly thrust into the position of governor. A complete unknown, with no political instincts and a paralyzing fear of public speaking, Ned seems destined to fail. But his political consultants see things a little differently: Ned might be the worst candidate to ever run for office...unless the public is looking for the worst candidate to ever run for office.

The cast will also feature Kelley Curran (Present Laughter) as Rachel Parsons, Erin Noel Grennan (Law & Order: SVU) as Louise Peakes, Mike Houston (Orange Is the New Black) as A.C. Petersen and Burke Moses (Beauty and the Beast) as Arthur Vance. The production team includes set design by Michael Schweikardt, costume design by Elizabeth Hope Clancy, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Randy Hansen.