Northlight Theatre presents Birthday Candles Tickets

Well-written, well-staged and acted, this production had no flaws. Funny, poignant and moving.

An incredible production. The acting was second to none. The play was moving , and thought provoking. Theater at its finest.

I liked the idea of the play very much, especially being of a certain age in which I realize I'm in the last third of my life (possibly far less, because who knows?) and I think a lot about how life rarely goes as planned, and that's. So I expected it to be more or less about this, and I was genuinely moved during the play quite often. The acting was top-notch. That said...the main messages only needed to be said once, maybe twice, and my husband and I felt as if we were being hit over the head with them. In other words, some editing might have helped keep those messages more powerful and subtle. And did she really have to lose almost everyone she loved, including her son to some sort of early dementia? That said, perhaps that was one of the points of the play, that even if we lose everyone, what sustains us is some way of keeping our legacy alive. So, yes, I was moved to tears in the first 2/3 of the play, but by the end, it was all a little too much. I'm an editor myself and I tell my students that not every sentence should be gorgeous and powerful -- that, in fact, when there are too many beautiful thoughts, their power gets diluted. That's kind of what happened by the end of this play. However, I still was moved by most of it and loved most of it, especially Kenneth and Joan's characters! And the last line -- something like, "It all came true,"was wonderful.

Awesome performance of a moving play. I recommend it highly.

Excellent performance, very talented performers, highly recommend!

The actors were great in presenting a story of celebrating birthdays from age 17 thru 100 for the main character. Funny and sad moments. Well produced and directed to tell a wonderful story of life.

Fantastic play. Poignant, touching, funny, and sad. Just like life.

It was a fascinating play. Watching the evolution thru time in one woman and her family's life hit close to home as my wife and I reach 70. It was interesting and well performed and I recommend it to anyone who has the courage to face their own mortality and the passing of time!

Wonderful play, great acting, emotional and poignant.

A truly talented and versatile cast – as shown by the multiple roles played by all except Kate Fry as Ernestine and Tim Kane as Kenneth, who age 80+ years in this 90-minute tour-de-force in which Ms. Fry never leaves the stage, yet credibly experiences a lifetime of love and loss. I never before realized that she has a lovely singing voice! Bring your tissues – and enjoy a nostalgic, but evocative performance. Yes, it's schmaltzy, but it's enjoyable, thanks to the skillful direction of Jessica Thebus whose mother acted with Kate Fry in Marjorie Prime. Stay for the talk-back. We learned a lot from our Q&A with Artistic Fellow Tor Campbell and the cast and understudy. This really is Chicago theater at its best.