On the weekend of a wedding in rural Ireland, Mal and Mairead’s marriage is quietly crumbling.
For Mal, a buried queer desire, once repressed in favour of a “normal” life, suddenly resurfaces when a Christlike young man reignites his forbidden fantasies. For Mairead, a fiery, tough-as-nails woman who married Mal to escape her own reckless romantic past, the weekend throws her face-to-face with the one who got away—the man who still holds a piece of her heart.
As both grapple with the choices that led them here, O’Brien’s Heaven becomes a raw, sensual examination of what it means to truly live. For anyone who’s ever felt trapped in a role they never asked for, this play pulses with the intensity of repressed desire and unfulfilled dreams. Whether you’re questioning the road you’ve taken, or yearning to break free, Heaven is a fierce, funny, and heart-wrenching exploration of identity, regret, and the lives we secretly long for.
Winner of the 2023 Irish Times Award for Best New Play, this daring and critically acclaimed play is a must-see for anyone who’s ever questioned the path not taken. Love, lust and liberation collide on a night that will change everything.
May 14
