D’Abruzzo, Hanlon, Alvin, and Austin to Star in I Love You Because

Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Colin Hanlon, Farah Alvin, and David A. Austin will star in the upcoming Off-Broadway production of I Love You Because, set to begin performances on January 19 at the Village Theatre and to open officially on February 14.

The tuner features a score by Joshua Salzman (music) and Ryan Cunningham (book and lyrics). It will be directed by Daniel Kutner, with set design by Beowulf Boritt and Jo Winarski and lighting design by Jeff Crotier. The rest of the creative team will be announced at a later date.

I Love You Because revolves about the burgeoning relationship between Austin, a greeting card writer (Hanlon), and Marcy, a flighty photographer (Alvin), as well as the lives of her best friend, Diana (D’Abruzzo), and his brother, Jeff (Austin). The show was originally developed in the NYU Musical Theatre Writing Program and was presented as part of this year’s NAMT Festival.

D’Abruzzo currently stars as Kate Monster and Lucy T. Slut in Avenue Q, for which she received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical. She is scheduled to leave the show on December 24. Hanlon has appeared on Broadway in Rent. Alvin’s Broadway credits include Nine, The Look of Love, and Saturday Night Fever. Austin’s stage credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess, and Pippin.