Penfold Theatre presents “A Minister’s Wife”

A Minister’s Wife
Based on the play Candida by George Bernard Shaw
Music by Joshua Schmidt, lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen, and book by Austin Pendleton
Directed by Michael McKelvey
Featuring Jill Blackwood*, Andrew Cannata, Amy Downing, Greg Holt* and Nathan Jerkins
Playing at Trinity Street Theatre

The award-winning composers of Adding Machine have teamed up again in this musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s classic play, Candida, about the self-assured sermonizer Reverend James Morell. Morell has it all – the respect of his peers, satisfaction in his divine calling and an enviable home life with his beautiful wife, Candida – until the young poet Marchbanks arrives and declares his love for Candida. Filled with lush melodies, sharp bouts of intellectual dueling and intimate emotional revelations, A Minister’s Wife challenges our assumptions about strength, love and marriage.

Penfold’s production is the first since A Minister’s Wife received its praised New York debut in April 2011. The Wall Street Journal called it “the most important new musical since The Light in the Piazza.” The Austin staging brings back director Michael McKelvey, whose past Penfold collaborations The Last 5 YearsJohn & Jen and I Love You Because received accolades from the Austin Critics Table and B. Iden Payne Awards.

Reviews

“The most important new musical since The Light in the Piazza. To say that you mustn’t miss it is to grossly understate the case.”
-The Wall Street Journal

Showtimes & Pricing

March 28 – April 14, 2013
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm.  Sundays at 5:00pm.
Opening night party following the show on Thursday, March 28th.
Post-show conversation with Lyricist Jan Tranen on Friday, April 5th.
$25 Opening night, $20 Regular, $18 Students, $18 Seniors (age 60+).

Penfold Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to opening and operating a professional theatre for north Travis and Williamson counties. Our mission is to empower artists to create work of the highest caliber and to engage diverse audiences through stories that inspire and impact our community.

It’s no surprise that the Austin metro area is exploding. According to recent studies, we’re the second fastest-growing metropolitan area in the nation. And the majority of this growth is happening in the north.  Yet despite all our new neighbors moving in, there’s not much north of downtown in the way of professional performing arts. At Penfold, we want to bring live theatre home to our northern communities. we believe that when creative minds are equipped with the resources they need to risk and explore, the possibilities of what they can produce are limitless!

Professional theatres provide these resources. Specifically, they adhere to guidelines defined by the artists’ unions to ensure excellence on stage and a positive work environment off stage. There’s not a single theatre in north Austin right now that’s committing itself to these rigorous standards. Our artists and audiences deserve it.  At Penfold, we strive to offer a broad range of contemporary and classic works, intended to thrill audiences of all ages. Check out our Past Productions and Education Programs pages to learn more about what we do.

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