Last spring, unless you acted fast, you likely missed out on seeing Penumbra Theatre’s premiere staging of “I Wish You Love.” Tickets sold out quickly to playwright Dominic Taylor’s musical portrait of ‘50s crooner turned television pioneer, Nat “King” Cole.

If you were one of those, like me, who missed out on tickets for the first go-round, you’re in luck. The Knight Arts grantee company brought the popular play back for a “special presentation” this holiday season, after packing the house for very successful runs this summer at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center and on the Hartford Stage in Connecticut.

Originally scheduled for just a brief return to the Penumbra stage, with but a few special performances, last week (thanks to brisk ticket sales, no doubt) the company announced that the fall run of “I Wish You Love” has been extended to December 18.

The play is structured around the taping of the final episodes in Coles’ popular musical variety show (1956-57), tracing the iconic singer’s professional struggles and private contradictions. But his story also serves as a lens through which to view the broader cultural and political tumult taking shape in the 1950s — the nascent stirrings of the Civil Rights Movement, the power of the young media to shape personality and message.

Under the direction of Lou Bellamy, the show offers both subtly incisive comment on race relations, then and now, and crowd-pleasing music. And the music really is wonderful: with live performances of 20 of the legendary crooners’ songs (carried off persuasively by Dennis Spears, as Cole), the tunes alone are well worth the price of a ticket.

The special presentation of “I Wish You Love,” written by Taylor and directed by Bellamy, has been extended through Dec. 18 at Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent Street, St. Paul, Minn. Ticket information is available online or through the box office: 651-224-3180. Visit the website for more: http://www.penumbratheatre.org/.