Birthday Candles
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
I’m in the Fargo-Moorhead area for the weekend to see The Blenders annual Holiday Soul Christmas Concert at the Fargo Theater. This year is The Blenders farewell tour to their infamous holiday concert. While in town, I was able to see Theatre B’s production of Birthday Candles during its closing weekend.
The play is written by Noah Haidle.
The story of Birthday Candles follows Ernestine from her 17th Birthday to her 107th Birthday. Lots of ups and downs in Ernestine’s life. We the audience see her in the various stages of making a cake throughout the first act. Her mother made her the same birthday cake every year, until she passed between Ernestine’s 17th and 18th birthdays. Ernestine makes the exact same cake every year. It’s become a family a tradition that Ernestine is passing along the generations. There’s a wonderful story about the cake capturing stardust and the knowledge of the cosmos as part of it’s ingredients.
Ernestine ends up living longer than her immediate family. The death scenes are beautifully staged. When it’s each characters time’s they exit stage right and are back lit, so you can see their silhouette. First it is her mother. Then her daughter Madeline/Athena at age 27, then her ex husband Matt after he has a stroke, then her son to dementia or Alzheimer’s, then her second husband (Kenneth, who was also her best friend throughout life). When it’s Ernestine’s time to go at 107, Kenneth is back lit stage right with his hand outstretched waiting for Ernestine.
I know I just spend a whole paragraph talking about death. The play is not about that. It’s about life. Ernestine’s life and her family. Their ups and downs. Their closeness. Their bond. And the birthday cake that brings them all together. Every scene takes place during Ernestine’s birthday. The years are projected above the stage. Which helps the audience know when we are in her lifetime.
This play is just a beautiful story. Glad I was able to see it before it closes. Speaking of which, the play closes on Sunday December 22, 2025. Still plenty of time to catch it. Check out www.theatreb.org for tickets.
