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Performance: "Einstein's Begonia"

Musicians and singers showcase the new musical's eclectic, original songs in this staged concert performance.

About "Einstein’s Begonia”: 

When Albert Einstein died in 1955, he left behind a beloved houseplant: a begonia. Now, Beggy – the begonia – must traverse destabilizing grief, the roller coaster of fame, and too many plant puns to learn to navigate the world without the only parent she has ever known.

Based on a true story, “Einstein’s Begonia” is told from the plant’s perspective. The show explores loss, theoretical physics, botany, and the search for identity. ”Einsteins Begonia” was named a semifinalist in the 2025 O’Neill National Musical Theatre Conference.

About the Creators: 

Rebecca Pronsky (Music & Lyrics): Featured on NPR, SiriusXM, and BBC Radio, Rebecca Pronsky spent a dozen years recording and touring as a singer-songwriter under her own name before she took up musical theatre writing. Her albums include "Only Daughter" (Top 10 Country Album of the Year - The Telegraph UK), "Departures & Arrivals" (Critics’ List Best of the Year - Philadelphia City Paper), and "Viewfinder" (Song of the Day - NPR Music). During her time on the road, Rebecca gigged relentlessly across the US and Europe, averaging 75 shows per year and sharing stages with Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Loudon Wainwright III. Following the 2016 election, Rebecca traded her cowboy boots for a pantsuit and wrote, produced and performed "Witness: Hillary's Song Cycle", a one-woman cabaret piece exploring the inner world of Hillary Clinton just after her devastating election loss. The show sold out both the 2018 NY International Fringe Festival and its subsequent run at The Duplex, and was featured on WNYC’s “All of It” with Alison Stewart. Rebecca is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Alexis Roblan (Book): Originally from the rural Oregon coast, Alexis Roblan was raised on dense forests, cold beaches, and an acute sense of existential anxiety. Her plays include "Red Emma & the Mad Monk" (The Tank; New York Times Critic’s Pick), "Daughter of Lot" (Edinburgh Fringe), "You Feel So Far Away Right Now" (Finalist, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference), "The Andrew Play" (Thomas Barbour Playwrights Award), "And It Spins Twice" (FringeNYC), "Ours" (Finalist, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference), "Liliya" (Exquisite Corpse Company), "Javelina" (Winner: Echo Theater Company New Play Competition), and "Samuel" (The Tank; Grant recipient, NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music and Theatre; Finalist, Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission; “superb” – Helen Shaw, for Vulture). Alexis has been supported and produced by theatre companies including Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Ars Nova, The Bushwick Starr, New Perspectives Theatre Company, The Dennis & Victoria Ross Foundation, Project Y, The Blank Theatre (Los Angeles). She is a member of the 2023-2024 Writers’ Room at The Geffen Playhouse.

Learn more and listen at einsteinsbegoniamusical.com

Co-sponsored by The Friends of Herrontown Woods

Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Community Room Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Assistive listening system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices (compatible headphones also available for use during programs)
• English-language subtitles for films (when available)
• If there is an accommodation that you need or would like so that you can fully enjoy library programs, please visit our Accommodations Request Form.

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