At least one manhole cover explosion rattled theatregoers at Birthday Candles' opening night April 10, with a post-performance explosion sending crowds running.
According to power and gas supplier Con Edison, the fire and explosion was reported just after 7 PM and caused by a cable failure. The blast reportedly happened near an office building on West 43rd Street, one block away from the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd. ConEd reports that the incident did not lead to outages, and that there were no confirmed injuries or property damage. Additionally, no injuries were reported at the American Airlines.
Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway premiere of Birthday Candles by Noah Haidle officially opened April 10 at the American Airlines Theatre. Read reviews for the production here.
Vivienne Benesch directs the cast, led by Emmy winner Debra Messing (Will and Grace, Outside Mullingar) and including Tony nominee John Earl Jelks (Sweat, Radio Golf), Enrico Colantoni (Just Shoot Me, Veronica Mars) in his Broadway debut, Crystal Finn (Roundabout's Bobbie Clearly), Susannah Flood (The Cherry Orchard), and Christopher Livingston (Roundabout's Something Clean).
The play follows Ernestine Ashworth (Messing), who, through the baking of a birthday cake over a 100-year period, examines her life and place in the universe.
The production also has set design by Christine Jones, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by John Gromada, and original music by Kate Hopgood.
