The cast does a tremendous job with a script that can be quite light and deeply contemplative at the same time… As Kenneth, Jacob Yeh ages with good humor, providing plenty of comic relief.
Only Jacob Yeh, like Starnes, plays the same role throughout: Kenneth, a neighbor whose enduring fondness for Ernestine makes for some of the play’s most hilarious and heartwarming moments.
The majority of the supporting cast in Birthday Candles play multiple characters across different age ranges. This is a challenging task, but they accomplish it well. The revolving door of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren makes for a full house. This includes the sibling dynamics between Hannah Taylor’s Madeline and Patrick Joy’s Billy, as well as Surasree Das’ eccentric Joan, who becomes Ernestine’s daughter-in-law, Kenneth (a sincere and heartwarming performance by Yeh), a longtime family friend who is always trying to win Ernestine’s heart, and William (Chris Genebach), Ernestine’s loving husband.