Nicolas Dromard, Jesse Manocherian, and More Lead Cast of THE DAY BEFORE SPRING

Celebrating the centennial of Alan Jay Lerner. The York Theatre Company continues the 25th Anniversary of its acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series celebrating the work of the legendary librettist and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, whose hundredth birthday was August 31, 2018.

For the second show in the 2019 Winter series, The York revisits one of Lerner and Loewe's lesser-known gems: 1945's The Day Before Spring, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by his longtime collaborator Frederick Loewe. Directed and adapted by Marc Acito (Allegiance), and with music direction by David Hancock Turner (Desperate Measures), the 11-member cast will feature Jonathan Christopher (La Boheme) as Gerald Barker, Michelle Liu Coughlin (The King and I) as May Tompkins, Nicolas Dromard (Mary Poppins) as Bill Tompkins, Judith Ingber(Man of La Mancha), Kent M. Lewis (Billy Elliot) as Harry Scott/Ensemble, Alyse Alan Louis(Amélie) as Christopher Randolph, Ian Lowe (Murder for Two) as Eddie Warren/Ensemble, Jesse Manocherian (Marry Harry) as Alex Rutland, Madison Claire Parks (The Fantasticks) as Katherine Townsend, Will Reynolds (Daddy Long Legs) as Peter Townsend, and Brittany Santos (West Side Story).

A married woman attends a college reunion where she encounters the man with whom she almost eloped ten years before. Romantically stirred by a novel he has written about her, she considers leaving her husband and reuniting with her former flame. With a score that was never recorded, moments of The Day Before Spring served as inspiration for such Lerner and Loewe classics as Gigi and My Fair Lady. Although the show was previously seen in a Mufti staging in 2007, this presentation will feature the full original score, recently rediscovered for a 2010 UK production-its first hearing in New York since 1945. Performances begin Saturday afternoon, February 9, 2019 and continue for 11 performances only through February 17, 2019. Opening Night will be Sunday evening, February 10, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

The York Theatre Company's acclaimed Musicals in Mufti features musical theatre gems performed in a simply-staged, book-in-hand concert format. This is the Muftis' twenty-fifth historic year of presenting shows from the past that deserve a second look. Mufti means "in street clothes, without the trappings of a full production."

The production team includes Lighting Designer Stephen O'Shea, Production Manager Kevin Maloof, Production Stage Manager Chris Steckel and Assistant Stage Manager Kayla Santos. Casting for The Day Before Spring is by Carol Hanzel.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy

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