Beating Heart Cadaver
by Colleen Murphy
by Colleen Murphy
A grieving couple, after the tragic loss of their daughter in a car accident, navigate their fractured relationship with the help of a grief counselor while exploring themes of humor and forgiveness.
About The Play
About The Play
★★★★.5 Four and a half stars, The Public Reviews
Part of ‘Introducing Colleen Murphy’, a mini-season within a season as part of “In Their Place” – a three month season of work by women playwrights
Leona and Danny’s young daughter, Amelia, perishes in a car crash. Paralysed in a car accident, Danny is spurned by his wife’s harsh accusations as she clings helplessly to a balloon believed to contain the daughter’s last breath. Enter Lola, a pathological grief councillor. Turbulent and daring, Murphy’s writing ventures through dark emotional territory unearthing humour and forgiveness as Leona and Danny fight their way back to each other, and to life. Beating Heart Cadaver was shortlisted for Canada’s most prestigious literary award, the Governor General’s Award for English Language Drama.
The three Sunday/Monday slots in the season are entirely devoted to introducing the UK to the work of one writer – multi-award-winning Canadian playwright, and our latest Playwright-in-Residence, Colleen Murphy – with a European premiere, a UK premiere and a world premiere of her work. This mini-season within a season marks Colleen’s UK debut.