WRITTEN BY
Harrison David Rivers
BASED ON THE BOOK BY
Geoff Dyer
DIRECTED BY
Lou Bellamy
But Beautiful
May 20 through June 13, 2027
A horn player looks back on an archetypal jazz life: flashes of genius, dark episodes, and friendships with greats like Lester Young and Thelonious Monk. Adapting Geoff Dyer’s landmark novel, playwright Harrison David Rivers (This Bitter Earth, Weathering) explores the 20th century’s defining genre through the minds of those who made it.
This evocative memory play mirrors the rhythm of the music itself, creating an impressionistic tapestry of the jazz world, its mysteries, and its personalities.
Tickets
Receive a 20% discount on But Beautiful when you purchase a 4-Play Package, which includes Mothership, Black Nativity, Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous, and But, Beautiful.
Receive a 15% discount on But Beautiful when you purchase a 3-Play Package, which includes Mothership, Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous, and But, Beautiful.
Single and group tickets for But Beautiful go on sale July 15, 2026. Student and Senior pricing is available for eligible performances.
To purchase tickets, use the order form below or contact Patron Services at 651.224.3180 or boxoffice@penumbratheatre.org.