Cautious, sensible Caroline Abbott journeys to Italy as a chaperone for her irrepressible friend Lilia, but everything goes wrong when Lilia suddenly becomes engaged to a dentist’s son. The troops arrive in the form of Lilia’s brother-in-law Philip, who has come to try and break the engagement. Philip’s mission fails, however, and a hotly contested baby results. Sweeping melodrama and a sardonic humor meet in Tuscany as Philip and Caroline’s ideals are challenged in the subsequent family battle over the fate of the unfortunate infant.

No need to fear checking out this new musical. THML Theatre’s production of Kit Goldstein Grant’s Where Angels Fear to Tread presents E.M. Forster’s novel in an entertaining emotional extravaganza. Directed by Kayla Friend, the musical begins with the recently-widowed 33-year-old Lilia Herriton (Maya Murphy) setting off from England on a trip to Italy with her chaperone Caroline Abbott (Theresa Egloff). She is seen off by her daughter Irma (Sarah Chiu) and her deceased husband’s family, a cunning charismatic trio comprised of mother-in-law Mrs. Herriton (Nancy Magarill), brother-in-law Philip (James Stafford) and sister-in-law Harriet (Stephanie Hawkins). An intriguing story springs up among all these characters connected by the boring Victorian basic Lilia. Once in Italy, she marries Gino, a 21-year-old she has known for about five minutes, then is shocked that there are sides to him she has never seen before. She figures things will get better when she finds herself pregnant with his child. Back in England, Mother Herriton decides they need to salvage their reputations in England by sending Philip and Harriet to confront Lilia about this new life of hers. Caroline Abbott has her …Read more