AN AMERICAN IN PARIS Star Max von Essen to Lead YOURS UNFAITHFULLY Premiere Off-Broadway

The Mint Theater, currently enjoying the extended run of the acclaimed A Day by the Sea will follow that with the World Premiere of Yours Unfaithfully by Miles Malleson, an "un-Romantic Comedy" about the price of free love.

Performances will begin December 27th at The Beckett Theater at Theatre Row, and continue through February 18th. Opening Night is set for January 26th. Yours Unfaithfully was published in 1933 but never produced, making Mint's production a very belated World Premiere.

Mint Artistic Director Jonathan Bank directs a cast that features Todd Cerveris (South Pacific, Twentieth Century - Broadway), Mikaela Izquierdo (Cyrano de Bergerac­ - Broadway; The New York Idea, Gabriel - Atlantic Theater), Elisabeth Gray ("Understudies," Breakfast at Tiffany's - Broadway), John Hutton (Lincoln), and 2015 Tony & Drama Desk Award nominee, Max von Essen (An American In Paris).

Yours Unfaithfully is an insightful, intelligent and exceptionally intimate peek behind the closed doors of an open marriage. Stephen and Anne, blissfully happy for eight years, are committed to living up to their ideals. When Stephen, a writer who isn't writing, begins to sink into a funk of unproductive moodiness, Anne encourages him to seek out a fresh spark. Can their marriage survive uncompromising generosity, sacrifice and love?

A handful of newspapers reviewed Yours Unfaithfully in its printed form in 1933. The Spectator described it as "vivacious and intelligent, as you would expect from Mr. Malleson." Bertrand Russell (Nobel Prize in Literature, 1950) critiqued the play for The Observer, calling it "the best play that Mr. Malleson has hitherto produced, both because it is well constructed and moves with great sureness, and also because it is quite free from all taint of propaganda...The subject is treated delightfully, with humor and kindliness and without any dogmatic conclusion. The characters behave as real people do behave, and not according to some convention of the theatre." Russell neglects to mention that the play seems to borrow from his own marriage. It's no surprise that the critic is slightly grudging about the play's humor: "It has some very good comic situations, and I suppose the troubles of the principal characters might be regarded as amusing, although from their own point of view they are very uncomfortable."

Miles Malleson's most successful play was The Fanatics, which played in both London and New York in 1927. The Fanatics was also an outspoken play on the subject of sex, in this case, before marriage. Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times wrote, "The Fanatics of the title are those who have the courage to live their lives as they think proper. Rightly or wrongly, Mr. Malleson offers the rebellious young people as the products of the war. Whatever the reason may be for their intellectual ruthlessness, you must respect their courage and sincerity."

William Miles Malleson (1888-1969) is remembered, if at all, as a character actor on stage and screen "who had a line in nitwits in which he was unrivalled," such as the Sultan in The Thief of Bagdad (which he also wrote), the hangman in Kind Hearts and Coronets (with Sir Alec Guinness, 1949) and Rev. Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest (Edith Evans, 1952). But as the author of numerous plays charged with the passion of reform, he never enjoyed the kind of popular success he had as an actor. The Stage and Television Today published a warm testimonial at his death in 1969: "Malleson was an actor of distinction, an artist of imagination and depth, whose best characterizations, especially in Shakespeare, were among the treasures of our theatre for many years...He excelled in comedy that came from guileless but not silly men. His nit-wits had souls as well as stupidities. What might have been merely grotesque was never so, it was lit by human feeling. His work in the theatre spanned nearly sixty years, from the time he made his debut at Liverpool Playhouse under Basil Dean in 1911, in Justice. He worked with Granville Barker and J.B. Fagan, with Playfair, Gielgud and Olivier, at the Old Vic in London and Bristol; in the West End and in the provinces. His acting, within its range, was unrivaled for effect, interest and significance, and he contributed valuable work as a translator of Moliere, as a writer, notably with The Fanatics and Six Men of Dorset-with H. Brooks-and as an influence for all that was intended to be of value to the theatre, irrespective of profit or fame."

Max von Essen recently ended his run as Henri Baurel in An American in Paris on Broadway; he was honored with 2015 Tony and Drama Desk nominations for his performance. Previously, he completed a successful run in the Broadway revival of Evita, playing the role of Agustin Magaldi and frequently stepping in for Ricky Martin in the role of Che. Prior to Evita, he appeared as Corrado Montelli in the acclaimed world premiere of Maury Yeston's Death Takes A Holiday at Roundabout Theater. Max also spent over a year roller skating across the country as Sonny Malone in Xanadu and performing at The Transport Group with the Drama League nominated cast of Hello Again. On Broadway, Max played Enjolras in the revival of LES MISERABLES, Alfred in Dance of the Vampires starring alongside Michael Crawford, Jean Prouvaire in the closing company of the original LES MISERABLES, and a disciple in the 2000 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. In that production, Max understudied the role of Jesus and performed it many times. Other notable New York credits include Tremont in Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall, Woody in Finian's Rainbow at the Irish Rep, and Matt in The Fantasticks at the Sullivan Street Playhouse.

Mint's current hit, the NY Times "Critic's Pick" A Day by the Sea, continues its acclaimed run through October 30th.

Performances are at The Beckett Theatre at Theater Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th and Dyer Avenues). Tickets can be purchased online at Telecharge.com, by phone at 212/239-6200 or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office. For more information, visit minttheater.org.