‘Birthday Candles’ Continues Onstage at City Theatre (Tues., 3/18/25)

BIRTHDAY CANDLES  by Noah Haidle. City Theatre. Through March 30

As we age, there are few constants in life. We grow taller, pet goldfish die, and, if birthdays are worth celebrating, there’s another candle to put on the cake. Ernestine Ashworth is no one special, a self-revelation she accepts—yet vows to change—at the age of 17. In a flash, she turns 18 and bakes the same birthday cake her now late mother first made. And every year, for 84 more to come, Ernestine bakes the same cake. It’s a constant—and the premise—of Noah Haidle’s play which premiered on Broadway via Roundabout Theatre Company starring Debra Messing in 2022. For ninety minutes, Ernestine never leaves the stage but grows to the age of 101, baking her cake for friends and neighbors who admire the birthday girl (with no subtle irony) for being herself. Birthday Candles is a sentimental journey that’s sweet and funny, yet its true gift is a story that’s “epic and beautifully written,” exclaimed the New York Daily News. City Theatre’s founder Marc Masterson will return to direct. Come celebrate at City Theatre. 7 p.m. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. (C.P.O.)

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