Charl Brown Stars In Ever After The Musical At Paper Mill Playhouse

The musical Ever After, starring Charl Brown, officially opened on May 31 at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Brown was nominated for a Best Featured Actor in a Musical Tony Award in 2013 for his role as Smokey Robinson in Motown The Musical. Brown will play the role of Captain Laurent, who was portrayed by Peter Gunn in the film. Captain Laurent is a friend and bodyguard to the Prince, and Brown’s work in the European tour of Hair, The Wiz, Jersey Boys, and Sister Act have prepared him for this role, which requires comedic timing and a strong voice, for which he is ideally suited.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Brown moved to New York after his stint in Jersey Boys, as he knew he had to be there in order to fulfill his dreams. “There’s nothing else I could do,” Brown said as to why he never gave up. “I never gave myself a back-up plan because I didn’t want to fall into it. I came to New York and waited tables. I was a cater-waiter for many years, and I just used that as a means to an end and tried to study everyone around me who was successful.”

Ever After is already receiving rave reviews. Entertainment Weekly wrote “this literate, faithful adaptation—blessed with a gorgeous score by longtime collaborators Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich—appears to be on the fast track to Broadway (like Paper Mill’s Newsies and Honeymoon in Vegas before it).”  As a bonus, the musical is directed and choreographed by three time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.

Based on the 1998 film, which starred Drew Barrymore, Ever After tells the real story of Cinderella; “it was always about her wit, her smarts, her strength and her good friend Leonardo da Vinci. She makes her own dreams come true. Warm and romantic, funny and smart, this is the musical you’ve been waiting for.”

Ever After will run through June 21, 2015 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.