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THE MARKLEY FAMILY presents
BIRTHDAY CANDLES
- By Noah Haidle
- Directed by Joanie Schultz
April 19 – May 18, 2025
ROSENTHAL SHELTERHOUSE THEATRE
THE MARKLEY FAMILY presents
April 19 – May 18, 2025
ROSENTHAL SHELTERHOUSE THEATRE
The ingredients for the cake are simple: eggs, butter, sugar, salt. Look closer, though, and you’ll see the essence of life itself. Every year, Ernestine bakes a cake and celebrates with her family on her birthday — a delicious ritual that unfolds onstage across 90 years of birthdays. We meet Ernestine and the people who sweeten her life every year on this day as she grows from 17 to 107 years old. Through glimpses of Ernestine’s life as the years go by, Birthday Candles tenderly explores motherhood, family, love, loss and finding your place in the universe. This charming new play, recently performed on Broadway, will warm the soul.
Birthday Candles is recommended for older teenage and adult audiences. Using a bit of strong adult language, the play celebrates life and the pain and beauty that comes with it – from serious illness, loss and grief to love, sex, family and birthday cake.
This show runs approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission.
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Joanie Schultz, Associate Artistic Director of the Playhouse and director of Birthday Candles, discusses her interpretation of Noah Haidle's captivating work.
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Noah Haidle's Birthday Candles isn't your typical birthday celebration. It's a poignant, often hilarious, and ultimately profound exploration of life, death and the fleeting nature of time — all wrapped up in the ritual of baking a birthday cake. This production sweetly rounds out the Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre season.
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Be among the first to see the show before opening night and save! Preview performance tickets are discounted.
Share the excitement of Thursday opening nights!
(Formerly Meet the Artists), stay after select performances for a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the artistic team.
Trained volunteers describe the visual elements of the production via a hearing enhancement system, allowing patrons to hear dialogue, music and other sound effects. The description is timed to avoid interfering with dialogue. Before the show and during intermission, show and actor information are shared.
THE MARKLEY FAMILY
RON MATSON AND DANIEL YOUNG
BECKY MIARS
MARTY C.
TOMB
THE VONTZ
FAMILY
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