Never The Bridesmaid
by Bill Jepsen
May 19th - July 3rd
The performance runs approximately two hours with an intermission.
“When it comes to marriage, fourth time’s the charm!”
Maria and Anthony are a pair of adult twins whose happily-married parents Elmer and Doris are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, these young adults haven’t shared their parent’s good fortune in life or in love. In fact, they’re both living back at home and their romantic lives have been a bit of a disaster.
Maria has been divorced twice and widowed once. She’s lonely and longs for a loving relationship, but can’t quite get past the idea that she’s a “loser” in love who will never live up to what she sees as her parents’ ideal marriage. But into her world comes Brian, a family friend from childhood who was the best man at her first wedding. Brian has returned home to Chicago and makes a point of reconnecting with his old friend Maria. Could he possibly…?
Meanwhile, Maria’s brother Anthony is a literary scholar who has his own problems. He was dumped by his fiancé four years earlier and now he’s so gun-shy and cautious with women that he’s hardly dated since. Perhaps Maria’s close friend Kathleen, a career-oriented young professional, can weave her way into his life in unexpected ways. Might she uncover something special?
By Bill Jepsen
Directed by Whitney Minarik
The year is 1928 and we meet the Fail sisters: Nelly, Jenny June, and Gerty. Born in that order. The sisters were bubbly, determined, and brittle. Also in that order. As with so many things in life such as blunt objects, disappearances and consumption, they never saw death coming. Failure is a magical, musical fable that follows the sisters’ triumphs and defeats. Set in the family home and clock shop, a rickety two-story building near the Chicago River, this funny, moving, and profoundly wise tale proves that everything has its time.