January 3, 2007/Coral Gables, FL/-- Love is in the air at the Actors Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, as the off-Broadway hit I LOVE YOU BECAUSE makes its debut from January 19 – February 11, 2007.

Dubbed “a modern day musical love story,” I LOVE YOU BECAUSE is a sweet, funny and bubbly gender reversed modern day musical about the adventures of two brothers, one a stiff greeting card writer, the other free-spirited pedi-cab driver, and the women they date, a flaky photographer and an actuary.

Austin Bennet’s (EURIAMIS "E.L." LOSADA), life is turned upside down when he finds his long-term girlfriend in bed with another man. Forced back out into the treacherous New York dating scene, Austin meets Marcy Fitzwilliams (JENNIFER HUGHES), a flighty photographer whose spontaneity is matched only by her ability to drive him insane. They are constantly misguided by Austin’s brother Jeff (CHRISTOPHER A. KENT) and Marcy’s best friend Diana Bingley (IRENE ADJAN) and the New York City man (WAYNE LeGETTE) and woman (CECELIA ISIS TORRES), “the two who oversee it all.”

Jeff advises the Austin that the best strategy to win back his old girlfriend is to ignore her. On the female side, Diana concludes, through rigorous, absurdist math calculations, that the best way for Marcy to find Mr. Right is to hook up with Mr. Wrong.

Recognizing Diana’s bizarre logic, Marcy sings, “So in order to find my perfect man, I need to find someone who’s perfectly wrong. I’m in New York, that shouldn’t take too long.”

Marcy helps Austin write a poem to woo back his old flame. Then come sparks that neither expected but prompt Austin to embrace their differences.

Much like in “When Harry met Sally”, the couple at first dislike each other, then become friends, and, finally the couples in I Love You Because come together in spite of their dating philosophies.

Together, they explore the rules of dating in the big city as they learn how to love someone, not in spite of their differences, but because of them.

Leading lady Jennifer Hughes, a University of Miami graduate, has come a long way, having starting out in the ranks as an Actors Playhouse intern. She was recently featured on Broadway and was an understudy to the lead with performances in A Light in the Piazza.

Written by Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman and directed by David Arisco, I Love You Because will be presented Wed.-Sat. 8pm and Sundays at 2pm, with previews on January 17 & 18th at 8pm for $30.00. Tickets are $38.50 for weeknights and Sunday matinees, and $46 for Friday and Saturday evenings.

The theatre offers a 10 percent senior discount rate the day of performance and $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes prior to curtain, with identification. All discounts are based on availability and exclude Saturday performances.

Group discounted rates are offered for 15 or more, and theatre/dining packages are available with Coral Gables’ select restaurants through our group sales department. Tickets may be purchased through the box office at 305-444-9293 or online at www.actorsplayhouse.org.

The 2006-2007 season at the Miracle Theatre also includes Jerry Herman‘s Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles (March 7-April 8, 2007), the world premiere play written by Miami playwright Susan J. Westfall, The Boy From Russia (May 9-June 3, 2007), and Tom Lehrer’s satirical musical comedy revue Tom Foolery (July 11-September 2, 2007).

Subscribers receive premium seating, best savings, and benefits and discounts to the area’s choice restaurants and establishments. Season subscriptions for a four-show package for the 2006-2007 season are on sale now, with prices ranging from $110 for preview performances, $146 for Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday matinees, $170 for Friday and Saturday evenings, and $174 for VIP Flexible/Anytime tickets for choice reserved seats in every performance. Opening night tickets, including a gala party and Bacardi bar, are $266. Miracle Maker donor subscriptions, including two tickets to opening nights, donor acknowledgement, and two tickets to the annual Reach for the Stars Gala Auction 2007 are $1250. Subscriptions for children 18 years and younger with a full paid adult subscription, and college students, are $70(restrictions apply).

Actors’ Playhouse, the resident theatre company and managing agent of the Miracle Theatre, has an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors, New York. Under the leadership of Executive Producing Director Barbara S. Stein and Artistic Director David Arisco, Actors’ Playhouse, a Florida Presenting Cultural Organization, one of eight major Florida professional theatre companies, and one of twenty-two major cultural institutions in Miami Dade County. In addition to its Mainstage season, Actors’ Playhouse produces a year-round season of Musical Theatre for Young Audiences, a National Children’s Theatre Festival, and offers a Theatre Conservatory and Summer Camp Program.

Cast Biographies:

JENNIFER HUGHES (Marcy Fitzwilliams) An Alumni of The University of Miami with a Bachelor Degree in Music, is thrilled to return to Actors' Playhouse where audiences last saw her as Maria in The Sound of Music (Carbonell Nomination Best Actress in a Musical.) Broadway: A Light in the Piazza (u/s Clara, Original Cast, Original Cast Recording); Dracula (Vampire 2, u/s Lucy Westenra) National Tours: Joseph...Dreamcoat (Narrator); Cats (Jellylorum/Jennyanydots); Grease! (Marty) with Sally Struthers. Favorite Regional: Violet (Violet, Carbonell and Curtain Up Awards: Best Actress in a Musical); Jekyll and Hyde (Emma); Cabaret (Sally Bowles); The Fantasticks (Luisa); I Love You...Now Change (Woman 1). Television: "Another World". Film: "Chapter Zero"; "Possession" ; numerous Independent and student films.

EURIAMIS "E.L." LOSADA (Austin Bennet) Straight play credits include: Twelfth Night, Othello (Bill Hindman Award for Best Supporting Actor), Long Day's Journey into Night (Curtain Up nomination for Best Supporting Actor), Beauty of the Father, King Lear, Midsummer Night's Dream, Barrio Hollywood, Lost Tango, Romeo & Juliet (New Times' Best Actor of Miami in 2006), Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, Paradise, Much Ado about Nothing, The Winter's Tale and Just A Kiss. Musical Theatre credits include: Zombie Prom, Batboy the Musical (Carbonell Award for Best Actor in a Musical and Curtain Up Award for Best New Male Performer of the Year), It's a Fabulous Life (Curtain Up nomination) and Jekyll & Hyde (Carbonell Award for Best Actor in a Musical).

IRENE ADJAN (Diana Bingley) is a long-time member of the South Florida regional theatre community and is happy to be back at the Actors’ Playhouse where she has appeared in The Fully Monty, Annie, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Funny Girl, and Joseph, among others. Other notable regional appearances include The Smell of the Kill (Palm Beach Dramaworks), Mack and Mabel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Royal Palm), Tell Me On A Sunday, Where’s Charley? (Caldwell), The Dead (GableStage), The Rocky Horror Show, Blood Brothers (Shores Performing Arts), Sisters of Swing, At Wits End (Florida Stage), Little by Little, and as Theodore Bikel’s daughter in The Disputation (Coconut Grove Playhouse). A proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, she is the Chair of the South Florida Equity Liaison Committee. A seven-time Carbonell nominee, she has won the award twice.

CHRISTOPHER A. KENT (Jeff Bennet) a proud member of Actors’ Equity and multiple Carbonell nominee. He recently enjoyed a successful run of White Christmas (Mike, etc.) Past Actors’ shows include: Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy), Aida (Radames), Joseph....Dreamcoat (Brother), Forbidden Planet (Captain Tempest), Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik), West Side Story (Action), Five Course Love, and MANY more. Regional favorites: 42nd Street (Billy), Gypsy (Tulsa) Parker Playhouse, Pump Boys and Dinettes (Jackson), The Foreigner (Charlie). Orchestra (Guitar): Beehive and Knight Life..the Girl Who Would Be King (Riverside Theatre), and Breaking Up Is Hard To Do here at Actors'. He attended Univ. Of Miami and is a member of local band, Venus Transit (www.venustransitmusic.com).

WAYNE LeGETTE (NYC Man) recently appeared at Actors’ Playhouse in Moonlight and Magnolias. Previous Actors Playhouse credits include: The Water Coolers, Proposals, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Funny Money, Laughter… 23rd Floor, A Thousand Clowns, Man of La Mancha, Gunmetal Blues, Prom Queens Unchained, Angry Housewives, Drood!, and The Odd Couple. This native Floridian and double Carbonell award winner’s other credits include: The Big Bang (FL Studio Theatre), The Royal Family (Seaside), The Good War (Maltz Jupiter), Ruthless!, Broadway Bound, A New Brain, Rags (Paper Mill/Coconut Grove Playhouses), The Rothschilds (Coconut Grove), Over the River…Woods, The Boys Next Door (PB Dramaworks), Angels in America, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Woman in Black (New Theatre), Lend Me Tenor, Arms and the Man (GableStage), and the title role in the world premiere of Chaplin.

CECILIA ISIS TORRES (NYC Woman) is pleased to return to Actors’ Playhouse in this production. She was last seen in the ensemble of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas in which she also served as dance captain. Other productions include South Florida Shakespeare Festivals Winter’s Tale (Perdita), Much Ado About Nothing (Hero), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Merchant of Venice (Nerissa), Macbeth (witch), Good News (Connie Lane) and Sweet Charity (frug dancer and dance captain). Cecilia graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelors Degree in Musical Theatre and was awarded High Honors from the Frost School of Music. She is also a graduate of New World School of the Arts High School. Cecilia is proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

JOSHUA SALZMAN (Music) holds an M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and degrees in composition and music education from Muhlenberg and Moravian Colleges. He has served in the music departments of Wicked and All Shook Up and is currently on faculty at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Memberships: The Dramatists Guild, Local 802 and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. ILYJ.

RYAN CUNNINGHAM (Book & Lyrics) A native of Needham, MA, Ryan holds an M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and a B.A. in Theatre and Graphic Design from the University of Notre Dame. He wrote the book for Chance at Love, which toured nationally in the summer of 2001. Ryan is a member of The Dramatists Guild and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

DAVID ARISCO (Director) Mr. Arisco has been a part of Actors’ Playhouse for 18 years, ten of them here at the Miracle Theatre. His diverse career spans over thirty years as director, actor, choreographer, musical director, stage manager, symphonic conductor and instrumentalist. Stage acting credits include starring roles in our critically acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof, A Thousand Clowns, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Same Time, Next Year, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Plaza Suite, Shenandoah and The Odd Couple. Film and television credits include Offbeat, Tollbooth, “Miami Vice,” “America’s Most Wanted,” and “Key West.” He has directed over 90 productions at Actors’ Playhouse, including the Carbonell awarded productions of AIDA (2005), Floyd Collins (2003), Violet (2001), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2000), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (1998), West Side Story (1997) and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1991), all of which won for Best Musical and Best Direction of a musical. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (his home state) and has been in Miami eighteen years now preceded by an eight-year residence in New York City.

KEVIN WALLACE (Musical Director) - previously at Actors’ Playhouse: White Christmas, Five Course Love, his credits include- New York: Houdini, Lingoland, The Rink, Hair, Spitfire Grill, The Apple Tree, Sex Tips for Modern Girls, Musicals in Mufti, Wish You Were Here, Fanny, Oh Captain! and Baker Street. Regionally: Indiana Rep, Virginia Stage, Riverside, Signature, Michigan Ensemble, Sierra Rep. Stock: Flatrock Playhouse, Dorset Theater Festival. He has conducted Dracula for the Virginia Ballet and was Music Director for History of Sex at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, for Steve Wynn. Other work includes eight seasons of A Christmas Carol and the world premiere of Songs From the Tall Grass at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC. He has received two Carbonell's for Best Music Direction for The Boyfriend and Falsettoland at the Caldwell Theatre. Recent credits also include the World Premiere of Million Dollar Quartet at Seaside Music Theater.