Part of the Off-Broadway theatre's acclaimed "Musicals in Mufti" spring season, Darling of the Day will be mounted April 15 at 8 PM, April 16 at 2:30 and 8 PM and April 17 at 2:30 and 7:30 PM. Directed by Michael Montel with musical direction by Andrew Gerle, the cast will also include Simon Jones, Charlotte Moore and Stephen Mo Hanan.

Darling of the Day features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and a book by Nunnally Johnson. The musical is based on the Arnold Bennett novel "Buried Alive" and concerns the story of Priam Farll, "a painter who sees an opportunity to duck out of London's stifling high society by assuming the identity of his recently deceased valet." Patricia Routledge won a Tony Award for her performance in the original 1968 Broadway production. The Mufti staging will feature an adaptation by Erik Haagensen. Darling of the Day was first presented by the "Mufti" series in 1998; it is being repeated this season in honor of the Jule Styne Centennial.

Rebecca Luker starred opposite Craig Bierko in the acclaimed revival of The Music Man, garnering Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for her role as Marian. Luker also appeared with Michael Cerveris and Judy Kuhn in the Kennedy Center production of Stephen Sondheim's Passion, and her other theatrical credits include roles in Nine, The Sound of Music, Show Boat, The Secret Garden and The Phantom of the Opera.

The spring "Musicals in Mufti" series began April 1 with the first collaboration of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The season will next offer Jamaica April 8-10.

Tickets for all shows are priced at $35 and are available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com. For more information go to www.yorktheatre.org. *

The "Musicals in Mufti" series presents musicals in staged concert settings. "Mufti" means "in street clothes, without the usual trappings." Audience discussions follow the matinee performances.