Romantic Comedy HOW ALFO LEARNED TO LOVE Heads to 59E59 Theaters Tonight

59E59 Theaters welcomes Al Dente Productions in association with Little Barn Productions with HOW ALFO LEARNED TO LOVE, written by Vincent Amelio and directed by Daisy Walker. HOW ALFO LEARNED TO LOVE begins performances tonight, December 16 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 3. Press opening is Sunday, December 20 at 3:15 PM.

The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday - Saturday at 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Please note, there is no performance on December 25; performances on December 24 & December 31 are at 6:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

At 36, Alfo Idello is a confirmed bachelor who refuses to settle down. But the clock is ticking, and Alfo needs to find his soul mate or risk losing the family bakery. Grandpa, the bakery's founder, wants Alfo to get the business, but there's one problem. Grandpa's dead, trapped in Purgatory on the BQE. Through divine intervention, Grandpa gets an offer he can't refuse: go back to Brooklyn to help his grandson find true love and Gramps can take the next exit off the expressway to Heaven. A feel-good romantic comedy, HOW ALFO LEARNED TO LOVE warms hearts for the holiday season.

The cast features Joanna Bonaro ("Mozart in the Jungle" for Amazon Studios); Jenna D'Angelo (The Thrill of the Chase with The Drilling Company); Robert Funaro (Fresh Kills at 59E59; upcoming "Vinyl" dir. Martin Scorsese for HBO); Armen Garo (The Man of La Mancha at Berkshire Rep; upcoming "Vinyl "dir. Martin Scorsese for HBO); Dominick La Ruffa Jr. (My Big Gay Italian Wedding); and Christian Thom (A Midsummer Night's Dream with MET Opera).

The design team includes scenic design by Steven C. Kemp (Travels with My Aunt for Keen Company); lighting design by Patricia M. Nichols (Splintered Souls at The Mint); costume design by Kevin R. Reed (Father Kennedy at NYC Fringe); original music and sound design by M. Florian Staab (A Midsummer Night's Dream at Classic Stage Company). The props master is Courtney Kupferschmidt.

Vincent Amelio (playwright) has three full length plays: Rookie Lifeguard's Last Day performed at American Theater of Actors (2004), Casabarka at The Aldous Theater (2012), How Alfo Learned to Love at Sanford Meisner Theater (2005), at Adelphi University (2006), at Connelly Theater in N.Y.C. Fringe Festival (2010), at National Opera-America Center (2014). A monologue from Alfo is published in InterJACtions: Monologues at the Heart of Human Nature. Vincent's one-acts, Tough Guys Don't Sew and Bonnie and Clyde Ecounter Miss Crabtree have been produced by Nylon Fusion Theater Company.

Daisy Walker (director) has directed around the country from San Diego to NYC. Theaters she has directed at include: The Guthrie Theater Lab, La Jolla Playhouse, Keen Company, Classic Stage Company, New Georges, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Payomet PAC, Cape Rep, Adirondack Theatre Festival. She has directed new work by artists such as Kristoffer Diaz, Julia Jordan, Duncan Sheik, Eric Lane, Kevin Rice, Courtney Baron, and Melanie Marnich. She was an Assistant Director on Jersey Boys for the Broadway, National Tour, and Regional productions. Prior to that, she was Artistic Associate at Classic Stage Company. Other Broadway Assistant Directing credits include Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention, Dracula, The Musical, and Sinatra, His Voice, His World, His Way. A Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop. Affiliated Artist: New Georges. 2005 Recipient of SSDC Sir John Gielgud Fellowship. MFA from UCSD.