Birthday Candles

'Birthday Candles,' starring Debra Messing, completes Broadway cast

Enrico Colantoni and John Earl Jelks will star alongside Messing.

Gillian Russo
Gillian Russo

Your wish has come true! The complete cast for Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Birthday Candles has announced its full cast. After its original premiere date in 2020 was delayed, Noah Haidle's play will begin performances at the American Airlines Theatre on March 18 ahead of an April 10 opening.

Nearly all the previously announced cast members from 2020 will remain in their roles, with Debra Messing leading the cast as Ernestine Ashworth. Enrico Colantoni will also star as Kenneth, with Crystal Finn as Joan/Alex/Beth, Susannah Flood as Alice/Madeline/Ernie, and Christopher Livingston as Billy/John. New to the cast is Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks as Matt/William, replacing Emmy winner Andre Braugher, who was originally set to make his Broadway debut in the role.

Birthday Candles follows Ernestine Ashworth from her 17th birthday to her 101st, in which time she bakes a single birthday cake using her mother's recipe. Only that cake remains constant as every other person and dream in Ernestine's life changes over the years, and she finds herself consistently reevaluating what makes her life worth living.

The play premiered in Detroit in 2018, and the New York production marks Haidle's Broadway debut as a playwright.

Get Birthday Candles tickets now.

Originally published on

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