About the Play:

The Maiden's Prayer is a full-length romantic comedy by Nicky Silver. What is the difference between loving someone and needing them? In his contemporary piece The Maiden's Prayer, playwright Nicky Silver explores five characters – siblings, life-long friends, new friends, ex-lovers, husband and wife – as they search for the perfect mate and the perfect relationship. The Maiden's Prayer mediates on romance, suggesting that the randomness of love can be a blessing as well as a curse.

The Maiden's Prayer is about a golden couple beloved by everyone – almost. We open at the wedding of Taylor and Cynthia. Libby, Cynthia's hard-drinking sister, is in love with Taylor herself and she can take it no longer. "The hypocrisy, the bone-chilling grotesque hypocrisy!" Fleeing to the back yard she discovers Paul, Taylor's best friend, a charming fellow, who, since childhood, has harboured a secret love for the groom himself. As Libby and Paul are forced to deal with unrequited love, their lives change dramatically. Paul, promiscuous by nature, finds himself pursued by a young man, Andrew, who seems, at first, less interested in true love than in available real estate. And Libby, her career in a shambles, succumbs to a life without love, a life where sex is connected to monetary gain, rather than affection. When Cynthia gives birth to a still-born child, her marriage dissolves and Taylor sinks into depression and alcoholism. Surprisingly, Libby, who has viewed her sister as the enemy all her life, finds the strength to sacrifice her own desires to help Cynthia through her grief. While Paul, seemingly kind, always appropriate, betrays his dearest friend and secret love. He gambles with Taylor's life, hoping his friend will turn to him, at last, for comfort. The Maiden's Prayer follows this quartet and Andrew as they struggle to learn the difference between loving someone and needing them.

The Maiden's Prayer premiered in 1998 at the Vineyard Theatre off-Broadway in New York City. The play has been performed in regional, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 female, 3 male

What people say:

"Hilarious … Nicky Silver's deepest play." — New York Post

"Playwright Nicky Silver can make you laugh yourself into a hernia…." — USA Today

"Silver's latest and best." — Gannett Newspapers

About the Playwright:

Nicky Silver is an award-winning American playwright. He exploded onto the American theatre scene in October of 1993, with the off-Broadway opening of his play Pterodactyls (Oppenheimer Award, Kesselring Award, Drama Desk nomination, Outer Critic's Circle nomination). His plays have been produced extensively in New York City as well as across Europe and as far away as South Korea.