Paper Mill Playhouse Questions/Advice

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 12:05pm

Hi everyone. I would like to go to the Paper Mill Playhouse for the first time, I have never been there. Could anyone offer my any advice or pointers on seating, getting there from Manhattan etc...?

My specific questions are:

1)How much time would I need on a Sunday evening to get there from Manhattan? I will be at a Broadway show from 3:00 to 5:15 p.m., and the Paper Mill performance is at 7:00 p.m. I am guessing that may not be enough time to take the train so I was planning on taking a cab.

2)Do NYC cabs have any restrictions or tolls associated with driving to New Jersey? Will it be easy to get any random cab to take me to Paper Mill from Manhattan? Any advice for getting a ride back to Manhattan after the show?

3)Any tips or pointers about seating at Paper Mill? Is the stage usually high, average, or low for their performances? There are seats in the orchestra front row center I would love, if nobody has any warnings about the orchestra front row.

4)Any recommendations for a restaurant or pub serving food after the show on a Sunday night, so it would have to be a place open late on a Sunday.

I am sure there are other important things to know I have not thought of, any information anyone has would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 12:06pm

I saw Grease there from the second row and it was fine. That place is pretty cavernous, so closer is better.

[p.s.]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 12:26pm

The first four rows are not sloped much.
E and F are better than D or lower.
G is the best - still very close, but with perfect viewing angle, and never blocked by F-heads.


p.s. I'm a season subscriber who moved back a few years ago from row D to E, and then to row G.

[madbrian]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 12:34pm

Check the NJ Transit schedules; the Papermill is walking distance from the Millburn train station. As for seating, the stage is not high, so seating up close should not present a problem. The theater is huge, and the mezz is very far back.

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 12:40pm

After your pricy cab ride there, I'd imagine the $8 train back is your best option.

[ILuv2shop531]

Posted: 10/20/14 at 1:24pm

JPeterman, I am an NJ native that now lives in NYC and have frequently used the train to get to Papermill. It is a 45 minute ride plus another 10 to the theater. The trains come on the 11's so you would definitely not make the 5:11 and the 6:11 would you get you there 2 minutes before curtain before the 10 minute walk even. I am not familiar with NY cab rates out of state, but I imagine it will be quite pricy.

Have you already purchased tickets to this Broadway matinee on Sunday? If not, my best advice would be to save yourself the stress and agony of rushing there on time (there may be traffic on the highway getting there with a cab) and leaving earlier and seeing the matinee a different day

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 12:14am

Thank you very much, everyone, for your input. Yes, I already have the tickets for the Broadway matinee, which ends at 5:15. So it looks like I will have to pay for a cab or car service to take me to the Paper Mill, and then I will take the train back to Manhattan.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 2:08am

It's a roughly 45 minute train ride, so I don't even want to think about the cost in a cab or the travel time in the event of traffic.
I would also caution noting the walking path back to the NYC bound track as there are only two trains back after the show if I recall correctly.

[ILuv2shop531]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 10:15am

broadwayguy2, you are correct. And if I remember correctly when I went to Can Can recently, the trains come on the 50's so making the 9:50 is most likely impossible so there will be some waiting around for the 10:50 or 11:50. Out of curiosity, I just checked a fair calculator and without any traffic the Times Square-Millburn will be about $70. Kind of steep.

I'm not sure if trying the bus from the Port Authority would be possible and getting a local taxi to Papermill depending on where the stop is maybe?

Updated On: 10/21/14 at 10:15 AM

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 12:24pm

Thank you for the comments. Is there anything I need to know about walking to the train station from the play house, or which side of the station or tracks I need to be on? I am assuming it is the Millburn Train Station on Essex Street? And yes, I think the train to New York leaves at 9:50 10:50 and 11:50 pm, and the show starts at 7:00 pm, so if it is a 2.5 hour show I would theoretically have about 20 minutes to walk there ... google maps states it is a 9 minute walk, But yes, if I miss the 9:50 pm I would have to wait until 10:50 pm.

Regarding the cost of a cab or car service, the Paper Mill tickets are a lot cheaper than comparable tickets to a Broadway show, so I am just factoring the car ride cost into the overall ticket price. There are no shows on Broadway I would want to see on a Sunday night, so this little adventure should be fun.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 10/21/14 at 10:46pm

If it were me, I would take the 5:53 train from Penn Station to Newark Penn. Train arrives 6:12 and it's less than 30 minutes by cab from Newark Penn to the Paper Mill.

Not only will it be cheaper, you don't have to worry about traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel, which after the matinees on Sunday, can be horrible. Even if there is traffic in NJ, the cabbie will have several options in getting you from Newark to Millburn, and there are always cabs queued up out front of the train station.

It's a short walk to the train from the theater. To get to the New York tracks, you will walk under the tracks and up the stairs. It's not hard to figure out. Ticket machines accept cash or debit/credit cards.

Two places that will be open that late is the Millburn, a typical diner, a couple of blocks from the station on Essex, and Charlie Brown's, a steakhouse on Main.

[JPeterman]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 2:06am

hushpuppy, thank you, that is an excellent idea.

[ILuv2shop531]

Posted: 10/22/14 at 9:38am

Glad we could all help! Would hate to see you rushing and miss some of this wonderful show!