Public Transportation to Papermill Playhouse

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 1:27pm

anyone know how much travel time I should allow if leaving form Penn Station???  Thanks in advance

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 1:29pm

I believe buses leave from Port Authority as well.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 1:35pm

That wasn't the question. Lol. 

 

If you go onto NJ Transit's website it should give you some travel time in minutes if you punch in a train departure time. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 1:36pm

Just trying to give him another option besides  Penn Station.

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 2:23pm

Roxy, do you know where the bus stops on the papermill side of the trip?  I went there by train twice last year during warmer weather, but decided not to go to see Bronx Tale during my upcoming february trip next weekend because i was worried about walking the 25 minutes from the station to the theatre in severe cold or snow (with nowhere to pop inside en route as there is in the city).  If the bus stops closer to the theatre than the train does, i might re-consider.  Thanks in advance!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 2:27pm

No idea other than I know buses go there . Sorry

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 2:27pm

^ Lol it's not 25 minutes from the train station to paper mill 

[adam.peterson44]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 2:31pm

Thanks Roxy for the reply!  No worries - i'll try to find out looking online.

 

And Blockhead (appropriate choice of your own name!), as i mentioned before, i have already gone there twice, so yes, that is the time that it took me.  I have a disability that makes my walking speed slower than average.  Maybe in the future think before spewing your ridiculous able-ist bullsh*t.

[thedrybandit]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 3:48pm

cjmclaughlin10 said: "anyone know how much travel time I should allow if leaving form Penn Station???  Thanks in advance"

I went out there a few times last year for Hunchback and gave myself at least 90 minutes from the time the train left Penn to the start of the show. The train took about 30-45 minutes (depending on the train) and the walk is about ten minutes. Luckily the lobby was open, so there was always a warm place to hang out until the doors to the theater opened.

[_IrisTInkerbell]

Posted: 2/14/16 at 3:51pm

to the OP, just put in the google maps, and it will give you the train departure times and travel time, as well as the estimated walking time from the train station in Millburn to Papermill. On the weekend I think it goes every hour, I can't remember how long the journey takes, around 45 minutes?? I could be way off though. I've been with the friend the 2 times I went out there and didn't pay much attention to the time.

We always go to the Sunday matinee and have lunch at the diner by the train station when we get there, so it makes for a nice trip. Skipping Bronx Tale, but looking forward to Pump Boys and Dinettes!

[LarryD2]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 7:24am

Yeah, weekend train schedule for the most part is one train per hour. It takes 45 minutes to get from Penn Station to Millburn. During the week, there are more trains as Millburn is on a big commuter line.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 10:18am

Take the box office number with you so they can help guide you to the place - I know the one time I went I got totally turned around and walked around in the wrong direction for over 45 minutes.  But is this something you really want to do?  With a subway ride + wait for a suburban train that runs only once and hour + 45 minute ride, it can be up to 3 hours each way for many people.  Most shows there are of "regional" quality, the theater is a huge barn with terrible sightlines if you're seated further back, and I just really don't think it's worth it.  And in the slight chance the show is good, they'll transfer it to Broadway with a better cast, as has happened in the past. So it will be SO much easier to get to.

Might I suggest: "Please Continue" at Ensemble Studio Theater, "Adults Only" at the Barrow Group, or "Dot" at the Vineyard Theater instead, all three of which I highly enjoyed?  There are so many wonderful choices in NYC that I would never subject myself to such a torturous experience again like that.

Updated On: 2/15/16 at 10:18 AM

[melora]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 11:17am

I walk to the theater all the time from the train parking lot.  Descend the stairs from the platform to Lackawanna Place, then look for the library building.  There's a path in front of the library.  Follow the path (as you look at the library with the tracks at your back, go left) to the end, then bear right on the sidewalk.  The theater is just around the bend.  If you arrive at the correct time, there should be mobs of people walking in the same direction.

[_IrisTInkerbell]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 12:34pm

steven, we'll have to agree to disagree on that. I've seen Ever After and Bandstand there, and I liked both. Ever After doesn't seem to transfer, and I'm glad I got to see it with this amazing cast of Broadway vets. I loved Bandstand, it was one of my favorites shows I've seen last year, beating many a Broadway show. I'm excited to see how it develops. The quality of the shows is generally pretty high, they get a lot of Broadway actors because it's so close to NYC and has proven a good testing ground for Bway bound shows.

 

Yes, it's a bit of a track to get out there, but that's why my friend and I usually make it a fun day trip. In the summer for Ever After we arrived for lunch, saw the matinee, and then went for a hike in the forest near by, then had dinner in Milburn before going back into the city. For Bandstand we did the same, except going to South Orange afterwards, where we saw a reading of a new play there with SJB and others, and had dinner there. I like to get out of the city every once in a while, and explore. It can be quite fun. 

 

If neither is your thing, fine, but I wouldn't discourage others who already have an interest in it!

 

My only beef with Paper Mill is that there never seem to be any discounts (I get it, 4 week runs that tend to sell out), and tickets are quite expensive, especially if you add the train fare. But again, I was still glad to do it, and will happily go again. As a matter of fact, getting to some places in Brooklyn of Queens isn't much faster if you live on the west side of Manhattan!

[JayG 2]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 1:24pm

Steven, Newsies felt like regional quality ON Broadway, too. So its not the Paper Mill necessarily, it's the regional feel of the creators.

Ever After is probably not going anywhere, so if you wanted see it, this was the place. 

Bandstand has possibilities -- and a cast of Broadway vets who would likely go with the show if it moves.

Although I did not like Honeymoon in Vegas, it moved the cast from Paper Mill to NYC (to no avail). So, your theory doesn't really hold up about the transfer of shows. 

Bronx Tale is, by far, the best of their original musicals. Except for one glaringly bad bit of casting, it can take the entire crew if it moves to NYC.

We will agree, however, on the theater itself.  A barn, as you say, with a mezzanine somewhere in Cleveland. It really is an awful place to see a show. No intimacy whatsoever. Even the decor of the theater is atrocious.Sterile and bland. It had possibilities once the old barn burned down and they rebuilt, but they really dropped the ball. (Whoever came up with this design knew little about theaters.)

[ScottK]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 2:19pm

For MOST of the trips it is appxly 40-45 minutes

Try to take a train that you dont need to transfer at Newark/Broadstreet--that makes it easier of course

The walk to the theatre is 10-15 minutes (unless you have mobility issues.)

There is signage along the platform (when getting off the train--go all the way to your LEFT as you exit off the train--go down the stairs--and make a LEFT again. At the FIRST traffic light, before the Millburn Diner--make a RIGHT--cross over the street. When you get to the next traffic intersection/Main St--make a RIGHT--and just walk up the street on the right side)

There are MANY nice places to eat in town too--so I'd suggest making more of a day of it (so you dont need to worry about cutting it close for travelling) If you need suggestions, just PM me

There is even a public bus that goes to Millburn--but i think it might even be MORE money than the train.

[playbill-love]

Posted: 2/15/16 at 4:07pm

I lived in Millburn for a summer while interning and took this trip multiple times a week to go in to the city and see theatre. Penn Station is a pain in the butt, but the trip is easy.  Be warned that the train is very busy (main commuter line to some of the fanciest suburbs in NJ) even during "off" times and late at night. When you get off the train in Millburn, there are signs that direct you to the theatre, a short walk through a park from the station.