THE MILLAY SISTERS Opens at Gowanus Loft This Week

Called "Vincent" all her life, Edna St. Vincent Millay was the mercurial goddess of a fast and fatal Greenwich Village scene in the 1920s. "She was one of those women," said Edmund Wilson, "whose features are not perfect, but who, excited by the blood of the spirit, becomes almost supernaturally beautiful."

Hailing from humble beginnings in Maine, Millay was the eldest of three creative sisters who were raised on Milton and Shakespeare by their determined single mother. Vincent shot to fame, winning the Pulitzer Prize and, as poet Richard Wilbur described, "wrote some of the best sonnets of the century."

Norma, the "middle" sister, serves as our host as the play unfolds, inviting the audience to hear popular songs from the era as well as poems of her famous sister. Giving voice to Edna St. Vincent Millay's playfulness, embodying her sensual intelligence and her urge to self-destruction, The Millay Sisters renders the poet's life in vivid detail. What begins as a cabaret spins into a full evening of theatre, weaving in the story of Vincent's rise to fame and illustrious career with the Millay family's complex struggles, successes, tragedies and secrets.

Come meet the famous one, the charming one, and the one they left behind.

The Millay Sisters features Margi Sharp Douglas and Rachel Murdy; directed by Cynthia Croot and Joan Jubett; musical direction and piano performance by Peter Szep; scenic design by David Barber and costume design by Theresa Squire.

The original creators of The Millay Sisters include Margi Sharp Douglas, Rachel Murdy, Cynthia Croot, with assistance from Steven Katz (musical direction and arrangement) and Deborah Philips (stage management).

Praise for The Millay Sisters:

"Margi Sharp and Rachel Murdy certainly have the pipes to pull it off... Their singing of period songs is a pure delight."
-Backstage

"Touching, funny and insightful about Millay, her work and her times. A complete delight."
-Gary Schiro, executive director Hudson Opera House

"Norma Millay is at the center of everything, something that Norma herself would have adamantly denied while creating just such a milieu with herself at the center."
-Berkshire Bright Focus, Peter Bergman, executive director of the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society

Performance Schedule:
Friday Jan 22 at 7:30PM
Sat Jan 23 at 7:30PM
Sun Jan 24 at 7:30PM
Thurs Jan 28 at 7:30PM
Friday Jan 29 at 7:30PM
Sat Jan 30 at 7:30PM
Sun Jan 31 at 7:30PM

Location:
Gowanus Loft is located at 61 9th Street #C8 between 2nd Ave. N/R/6 trains to 23rd Street stops.

More info at:
www.millaysisters.com/ ; gowanusloft.com

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