The concert revival of the musical by Ben Tarver and John Clifton marks the first time Mufti has addressed an Off Broadway show. The popular series revives lesser-known or "underappreciated" musicals. "Mufti" means "in street clothes, without the usual trappings"; the shows are done without costumes and with script in hand.
The musical comedy has book by Ben Tarver, music by John Clifton and lyrics by Clifton and Tarver. Michael Montel directs.
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Man With a Load of Mischief plays five performances at the theatre at St. Peter's in Citigroup Center, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street.
Based on a 1925 play by the English writer Ashley Dukes, Man opened in 1966 off Broadway at the Jan Hus Playhouse. It is set in a 19th century English inn and is concerned with the romantic comings and goings of its guests. York artistic director James Morgan said the characters include an innkeeper and his wife, and a lord and lady (and servant and maid) who stop by a country inn for the night.
"It's romantic and touching," Morgan said.
Vlastnik played "the snail with the mail" in Broadway's A Year With Frog and Toad; Wolpe was a Max in the recent Broadway Sound of Music and played Herbie to Betty Buckley's Rose in Gypsy at Paper Mill; Sutherland was Amalia in the Broadway revival of She Loves Me; Bogardus memorably appeared in Falsettos and its Off-Broadway predecessors, as well as High Society.
Man With a Load of Mischief plays 8 PM Oct. 31, 2:30 PM and 8 PM Nov. 1 and 2:30 and 7:30 Nov. 2.
Tickets are $35 or $20 on day of performance. For information, call (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
For more information, visit www.yorktheatre.org.
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The fall 2003 Mufti series also includes Jerome Kern's Oh, Boy! and Ahrens and Flaherty's Lucky Stiff. Another Mufti series will be announced for early 2004.
