Photo Flash: Meet the Cast of BAR MITZVAH BOY

The Jule Styne Celebration Continues! The York Theatre Company presents the rarely-seen musical Bar Mitzvah Boy, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Tony and Oscar winner Don Black (Sunset Boulevard), and book by Jack Rosenthal (Yentl), as adapted by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys), the second of three shows in the Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti Series celebrating the work of composer Jule Styne. Directed by Annette Jolles, and with music direction by Darren R. Cohen, the eight-member cast will feature Julie Benko as Lesley Green, Neal Benari as Rabbi Sherman, Ned Eisenberg as Victor Green, Ben Fankhauser as Harold, Tim Jeromeas Grandad, Peyton Lusk as Eliot Green, Casey Watkins as Denise, and Lori Wilner as Rita Green.

Based on Rosenthal's award-winning 1976 BBC1 teleplay of the same name, Bar Mitzvah Boy is a bittersweet musical comedy about a young Jewish Londoner who runs away from the Bar Mitzvah into which his parents have poured their efforts and their money. Looking at the adult world, Eliot Green doubts if he can cope with being a part of it. Rosenthal's hysterical story of a family's anxious build up to their only son's Bar Mitzvah will resonate with many Jewish families, but this classic tale speaks loudly for any important family occasion-whatever the religion. Originally produced at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End in 1978, Bar Mitzvah Boy is composer Jule Styne's only musical written expressly for London, and this presentation marks the New York premiere of a new version first presented in London in 2016, with a book adapted by David Thompson and new songs with lyrics by Black, using previously unheard Styne melodies.

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

The limited engagement of Bar Mitzvah Boy plays 11 performances only, February 10 -18, 2018 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Opening Night is Sunday evening, February 11, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets be purchased online at www.yorktheatre.org, by calling (212) 935-5820, or in person at the box office at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue), Monday through Friday (12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.).

Photos Courtesy of The York Theatre Company

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