About the Play:

Enchanted April is a full-length romantic comedy adapted for the stage by Matthew Barber, from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Four unhappy English women rent a villa in Tuscany for a month, discovering unexpected passions and renewing their appreciation of life.

Enchanted April is the sweet story of two British housewives who decide to rent a villa in Italy for a holiday away from their bleak marriages. They recruit two other, very different English women to share the cost and the experience. During their enchanted month in the Ligurian villa, the ladies fall under the spell of their idyllic, sun-drenched surroundings. There, among the wisteria blossoms and Mediterranean sunshine, all four bloom again – they rediscover laughter, learn new truths about themselves and find just the romance they need, though perhaps not the romance that they – and we – expect to find. 

Enchanted April premiered in 2000 at Connecticut’s Hartford Stage, followed by a Broadway production in 2003, earning the John Gassner Award for Outstanding New American Play and Drama League and Tony Award nominations for Best Play. The play has had productions at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver and Theatre Calgary and the main stage of the Shaw Festival and continues to enjoy award-winning productions throughout the world.

Cast: 5 female, 3 male

What people say:

"A comical, restorative journey of discovery… from darkness to light, from inhibition to unrestrained joy. Beautiful and theatrically rewarding." — Daily Variety

"Enchanted April is as good as they come: a lush, thoroughly refreshing theatrical holiday. Escape has seldom seemed so sweet. A magical triumph." — Los Angeles Times

" Enchanted April is that rarity: a play where every single element falls perfectly into place—a show that leaves you positively glowing." — NYTheatre.com

"The kind of play that reminds you of why you love theatre." — Hartford News

"A play filled with warmth and pervasive hope … romantic, charming, and gently poetic. Delightful." — New York Daily News

About the Playwright:

Matthew Barber was born in Los Angeles, California, and studied literature and drama at UCLA. Moving to San Francisco after graduating, he enjoyed early careers as an arts journalist and publicist, while continuing to work in a creative capacity with a variety of small theater companies and arts organizations. This led to a commission to adapt for the stage the 1922 Elizabeth von Arnim novel The Enchanted April.

Elizabeth Von Arnim (1866-1941) was an Australian-born British novelist. Born Mary Annette Beauchamp, she became Countess von Arnim through marriage and "Elizabeth" through her pseudonym used to write more than twenty popular novels, including The Enchanted April.