Mint Theater's World Premiere of YOURS UNFAITHFULLY Opens Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Thursday, is Opening Night for Mint Theater's World Premiere of Yours Unfaithfully by Miles Malleson, an "un-Romantic Comedy" about the price of free love. 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), Stephen Schnetzer (Broadway - Wit,The Goat, "Another World"), and 2015 Tony & Drama Desk Award nominee, Max von Essen (An American In Paris).

Performances began December 27th at The Beckett Theater at Theatre Row, and continue through February 18th. Yours Unfaithfully was published in 1933 but never produced, making Mint's production a very belated World Premiere.

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."

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.

Photo Credit: Richard Termine

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