Celebrate a Connecticut Culinary Icon in New Jersey this Weekend!

More than 50 years have passed since the Zelepos family opened their version of a “Slice of Heaven” — their iconic pizza shop in Mystic, Connecticut. The Zelepos’ secret recipe for their pizza both stumped and delighted locals, eventually catching Hollywood’s eye. 

Through Sunday of this weekend, February 21 - 23rd is your last chance to see a brand new musical inspired by little Connecticut pizza shop that went on to become a beloved cult-classic movie. 

A trek to New Jersey might sound like a far journey, but not only is it closer than you might think. You can avoid the traffic in NYC by going around it via the Tappan Zee Bridge (Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) or, if you’re already in the city for work or pleasure, the Paper Mill Playhouse is just a short train ride from Penn Station and a 10 minute walk from there. The playhouse also runs a shuttle from the train station on show days, making it easily accessible to all. 

If you’re not familiar with the Paper Mill Playhouse, it is not your run of the mill community theater. Some of Broadway’s biggest hits have been incubated at this theater, including Newsies, A Bronx Tale, and The Great Gatsby, which is currently on its debut Broadway run (stay tuned for a review to come!). With all of its experimental success, it’s no surprise that in 2016, the playhouse was awarded a Regional Theatre Tony Award. 

What’s great about Mystic Pizza is its escapism. As jukebox musicals are wont to do (like my personal favorite, Mamma Mia) this play will bring a boost of sunshine to help beat the winter doldrums. 

Heavy, thoughtful theater is wonderful and there are many reasons why the likes of Les Miserable have such lasting power, but there is something very valuable about a popcorn musical that delights in its own lightness. With a low stakes storyline, the loud, colorful clothes of the 1980s and pumping tunes like The Power of Love, Hit Me with Your Best Shot, and classic Wilson Philips ballad, Hold On, it’s hard to not enjoy this show. 

That being said, I would’ve liked the fun factor turned up, especially during the rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. This show has great potential, but it’s missing a certain je ne sais quoi that takes a jukebox musical from karaoke to holding its own against the original songs. 

Letting my own bias in here, it’s always lovely, and a great rarity to see a critic heralded in a show. I was glad to see that the “Fireside Gourmet” Chuck Windsor is still portrayed as a hero as he is in the film, and James Hindman, who plays a double role as the critic as well as the wedding priest, does a phenomenal job of endearing the snobbish critic to the audience. 

The main trio of Daisy, Kat, and JoJo (played by Krystina Alabado, Alaina Anderson, and Deánna Guilietti, respectively) are delight to watch, particularly Guilietti’s performance of the commitment-phobic, hilarious, working class young woman, JoJo. Jennifer Fouché’s Leona is softer, warmer motherly figure than in the film. She still has sass, but the slight character change adds to the overall coziness of the musical. 

Despite my desire for a bit more spectacle and oomph, this show flew by as I watched the Saturday matinee to a near sold out audience. I hope that this musical will live on beyond this run, but if it doesn’t, at least here in Connecticut, we have the original Mystic Pizza right in our own backyard. 

Tickets for this show and all future shows can be purchased on the Paper Mill Playhouse website.