Opening Night of Lolita My Love and You Are There

The York Theatre Company concluded its 25th Anniversary of its acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series celebrating the work of the legendary librettist and lyricist Alan Jay Lernerwith the third show in the 2019 Winter series the NY premiere of the Lolita, My Love, with music by John Barry and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, as edited by Erik Haagensen. 

The show officially opened last night, February 24. T2C’s Genevieve Rafter Keddy was there.

Directed by Emily Maltby

and with music direction by Deniz Cordell

the 13-member cast features George Abud (The Band’s Visit) as Clare Quilty

Caitlin Cohn (The Secret Garden) as Dolores “Lolita” Haze

Robert Sella (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Humbert Humbert

Thursday Farrar (Aida) as Dr. June Ray

and Jessica Tyler Wright (Sweeney Todd) as Charlotte Haze

with Becca Fox (Singin’ in the Rain) 

Hanako Greensmith (Spring Awakening)

Victoria Huston-Elem (Finding Neverland)

Jay Aubrey Jones (Assassins)

Kennedy Kanagawa (Into the Woods)

Max Meyers (Buddy: The Buddy HollyStory)

Mark Montague (A Very Brady Musical)

and Analise Scarpaci (Matilda, The Musical)

Based on the 1955 novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the musical, which originally closed in Boston in 1971, closely follows the legendary novel: a college professor named Humbert Humbert becomes fascinated by and starts to seduce his landlady’s young daughter, Dolores “Lolita” Haze. The fascination quickly turns into obsession, and soon a whirlwind race across the US begins.

For this Mufti presentation, Erik Haagensen (Darling of the Day and The Day Before Spring in Mufti) has created a new script, edited together from Lerner’s assorted drafts, each vastly different from the others. Haagensen said “now audiences will have a chance to hear Lolita on stage and decide for themselves what they think of this unquestionably daring musical that begins as a black comedy and ends in tragedy.”

The York Theatre Company’s acclaimed Musicals in Mufti series of musical theatre gems, performed in a simply-staged, book-in-hand concert format, are part of 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 limited engagement of Lolita, My Love plays 11 performances only, February 23 – March 3, 2019 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter’s (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).