My Joy is Heavy

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About the Show

Young couple grapples with pregnancy loss through folk-inflected song and quiet resilience.

young couple living in rural isolation confronts the aftermath of a pregnancy loss. Wrapped in snow and loneliness, they navigate grief, longing, and the need for connection — finding unexpected moments of tenderness, humor, and hope through their shared journey.

The work is created and performed by The Bengsons (Abigail and Shaun Bengson), an Obie-winning folk-rock duo whose previous work includes Hundred Days and The Keep Going Songs. It is directed by Rachel Chavkin (Tony Award winner for Hadestown), with choreography by Steph Paul and music supervision by Or Matias. The production marks a collaboration of artists rooted in deeply personal storytelling and musical memoir.

Critic Reviews (11)

"The show is more inspiriting than innovative, but it’s enough that unlike during the real pandemic, the Bengsons can now invite us into their home, and we wade the rivulets of their loss, side by side."
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"The realization that you cannot really protect yourself from grief by avoiding love or attachment is something that comes with months of therapy, not minutes of song."
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“The feeling and insight offered in this show reward you for braving the discomfort zone.”
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"There’s a note of self-congratulation running through this work too — tricky to pinpoint because it comes swathed in both twee humility and real suffering."
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"It’s hard to critique a show like My Joy Is Heavy. The stories are personal; the emotions are raw; and the composers are on stage"
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"There are many sharp observations in My Joy is Heavy, but the uplift on offer can feel oddly generic."
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"The emotions in My Joy Is Heavy are large, and we're moved...the tone is exuberant, yet the subject matter resists celebration. Yes, it's joy. And yes, it's heavy."
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“My Joy is Heavy” piece serves as both pandemic document and timeless meditation, specific to this moment of collective trauma and applicable to any moment when people must decide whether to risk love knowing loss is inevitable.”
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