'The Lonely Way' extends to the 1 May 2005

The Mint Theater Company's has announced that its New York premiere of Arthur Schnitzler�s 'Der einsame Weg' entitled The Lonely Way, will continue through to the 1 May at the Mint Theater.

The Lonely Way is a subtle and redemptive drama that explores the question of what makes a rewarding life. The story revolves around the brilliant but failed artist Julian Fichtner, at middle age with nothing to show for his life-long pursuit of pleasure, freedom and self-expression. After years of restless wandering, Julian returns home in the hopes of giving meaning to his existence by being near his 23 year-old son - a young soldier who has no idea that Julian is his father.

The mint reports that this play has never been seen in New York and was only produced once in the US: in 1931 the Theater Guild produced an out-of-town tryout in Baltimore and Washington, but when the leading man broke his leg, plans to bring the play to New York were shelved. 101 years after it was first written, Mint has provided New York theatergoers their first chance ever to see the play in a brand new English-language translation which they commissioned from Margaret Schaefer.

Mint Theater Company has a reputation for re-discovering plays that have, for whatever reason, been forgotten about or neglected. Their 2003 New York Premiere of 'Far And Wide', also by Arthur Schnitzler, was the Mint's longest running play, with 100 Performancers.

Jonathan Bank, who previously adapted and directed 'Far and Wide' at the Mint, also directs The Lonely Way. According to Ban, �Schnitzler is a playwright who deserves the attention of anyone serious about the modern theater.�

Bank directs a cast that includes Eric Alperin, Lisa Bostnar, Ronald Guttman, Bennett Leak, George Morfogen, Sherry Skinner, Constance Tarbox, Hans Tester, and John Leonard Thompson.

The Lonely Way has set design by Vicki R. Davis, lighting design by Ben Stanton and costume design by Henry Shaffer.

Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) a prolific author, wrote more than twenty prose works in addition to over twenty-five plays. From before 1900 until 1925, Schnitzler was more talked about, and his plays were more performed on the stages of Germany and Austria than any other writer.

Schnitzler was both a Jew and a critic of the Austrian Monarchy, contributing to the censorship of his work in his lifetime, and by the Nazi�s after his death. His work ultimately suffered the same fate as the Viennese culture that he was describing and vanished into obscurity after Word War I.