The musical “The Heart” opened at New York City’s Laura Pels Theater, marking a bold exploration of life, death, and organ donation through its 90-minute runtime. The production, which had a previous run at La Jolla Playhouse, is the first Roundabout Theater Company show on the schedule directed by its new artistic director, Christopher Ashley, who previously served as artistic director at La Jolla Playhouse.
Play Streamlines Novel to Emphasize Urgency
Breva (Drew Gehling). The narrative emphasizes urgency, compressing the novel’s dense timeline into a streamlined theatrical experience.
Photo: theaterpizzazz.com
The transplant coordinator, Thomas (Lincoln Clauss), has the delicate task of persuading Marianne and Sean to authorize the recovery of Simon’s organs to help ailing people. Among them is Claire (Heidi Blickenstaff), a 50-year-old who has been waiting for a new heart and has decided to accept death. The book, by Kait Kerrigan, streamlines Maylis de Kerangal’s novel Réparer les vivants (Mend the Living), maintaining a sense of urgency while balancing philosophical musings with emotional storytelling.
Creative Team Blends Music with Fluid Staging
Directed by Christopher Ashley, the Roundabout Theater Company production features a score by Anne and Ian Eisendrath, blending electronic dance music with emotional storytelling. The score’s driving beats align with the story’s focus on the heart.
Off Broadway Review: THE HEART – Bored and Confused?
Robert Brill’s functional set design uses simple props, such as an operating table that doubles as a surfboard, while Lucy Mackinnon’s video projections and Amanda Zieve’s lighting shift between hospital and outdoor scenes. The production’s fluid staging, reminiscent of Ashley’s Tony Award-winning Come from Away, emphasizes the interconnectedness of characters.
Drew Gehling, who previously played a gynecologist in Waitress, brings an off-beat humor to the role of Dr. Breva, the cardiothoracic surgeon. Nick T. Daly, who plays Simon, appears mainly in flashback sequences, projecting a vibrant youth that amplifies the tragedy of his death. Juliette’s laptop features stickers for E.D.M. acts Kaskade and Swedish House Mafia, reflecting the musical’s modern sound, which diverges from earlier medical-themed works like A New Brain.
The Heart Runs Through December 6 in NYC
“The Heart” runs through December 6 at the Laura Pels Theater, 111 W 46th Street, NYC. Daly as Simon, Max McKenna as Juliette, and Lincoln Clauss as the transplant coordinator. Tickets are available via the Roundabout Theater Company’s website. The show’s running time is 1 hour 30 minutes, with a score that balances humor and poignancy to explore themes of human connection and resilience.
