Abundance

directed by Martin Benson
by Beth Henley

1860.  A stagecoach pulls into a station in the middle of the Wyoming Territory. Off step two mail-order brides, one innocent and wide-eyed, the other spunky and assertive. For the next quarter of a century, they struggle with the incongruities of fate while clinging to their dreams in a fierce and funny story set in a Wild West that would have daunted even Thelma and Louise. Originally produced by South Coast Repertory 25 years ago, this dark comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winner Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart) has found a new life, both here and in New York, where The New York Times said its revival “makes you realize how much you’ve missed a playwright’s voice.”

Recommendation: For middle school and above.