Donna McKechnie & More Join Broadway-Aimed Musical Half Time at Paper Mill Playhouse

The Broadway-aimed musical Half Time, née Gotta Dance, has added Tony-winning theater legend Donna McKechnie (A Chorus Line) to its troupe of senior citizen dancers for the Paper Mill Playhouse premiere. McKechnie will play Joanne, one of ten determined dreamers who audition to dance at halftime for a major basketball team, alongside the previously announced André De Shields, Georgia Engel and Lillias White. The production will begin previews on May 31 with an opening night set for June 12. Half Time will play a limited engagement through July 1.

Inspired by the 2008 documentary Gotta Dance, the production features direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell, a book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and additional music by Marvin Hamlisch and Ester Dean.

The cast will also feature Haven Burton, Lori Tan Chinn, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Nancy Ticotin, Madeleine Doherty, Tracy Jai Edwards, Mary Claire King, Lenora Nemetz, Kay Walbye, as well as Alexander Aguilar, Ken Ard, Sydni Beaudoin, Tami Dahbura, Paula DeLuise, Gabriela Garcia, Talya Groves, Kathryn Kendall, Valton Jackson, Summerisa Bell Stevens, Garrett Turner and Gayle Turner.

Additional creatives include Tony Award-winning set designer David Rockwell, costume designer Gregg Barnes, sound designer Randy Hansen and lighting designer Kenneth Posner, as well as Jason Lee Courson (projection design), Josh Marquette (hair and wig design) and Larry Hochman (orchestrations).