Cuccioli, best known to Broadway audiences for his Tony-nominated turn in Jekyll & Hyde, will play Captain Georg von Trapp in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic. The musical, which was immortalized on screen by Julie Andrews, will begin performances at the New Jersey theatre Oct. 29 with an official opening scheduled for Oct. 31 at 8 PM. The production will run through Dec. 14.

Directed and choreographed by James Brennan, the musical will also feature Ed Dixon as Uncle Max and Donna English as Baroness Elsa Schraeder. Additional casting is expected shortly.

Robert Cuccioli earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for his work in Jekyll & Hyde. He won the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle awards for that performance as well.

The Sound of Music originally opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in Nov. 1959. Mary Martin headed a cast that also included Theodore Bikel and Patricia Neway; the most recent Broadway revival featured Rebecca Luker as the beloved Maria von Trapp. The classic score boasts such tunes as "Do Re Mi," "My Favorite Things," "The Sound of Music" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."

The Paper Mill: The State Theatre of New Jersey is located in Millburn, N.J., on Brookside Drive. Visit www.papermill.org for more information.