About the Show

In Athena Theatre's supernatural drama, a mysterious link is formed between the donor and the recipient of a heart transplant.

Phoebe is a young poet, forever living in the shadow of her estranged mother’s literary acclaim. When her mother unexpectedly dies, however, Phoebe is left with two complicated legacies: donating her mother’s organs and reading her mother’s unpublished confessional journal. Meanwhile, Tess and her partner Lydia receive a late night phone call, informing them that a donor heart is available for Tess. But when the transplant establishes a sympathetic link between donor and recipient these two families form an unlikely connection, struggling to understand the politics and poetics of organ donation and daring to hope that pieces of us can live on after great tragedy.

Critic Reviews (5)

“This important show shines a light on the subject of organ donation...This realistic story provides an intimate view of the characters and how their lives are affected...It also demonstrates the delicate relationship between the organ donor and the recipient...The actors portray their characters with just the right amount of passion and affection for each other...’I Carry Your Heart’ takes audiences on an emotional journey...This is a show that should be seen and talked about.”
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“Fresh and powerful...The psychological problems explored here are personal, unique. But they emphasize the unexpected repercussions that can eventuate when something serious but at the same time matter-of-fact transpires...Some of the writing comes across as awkward, at least as directed by Cate Caplin and played by an otherwise accomplished cast taking on especially delicate, not often tackled material.”
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"Looking back at it, Georgette Kelly's 'I Carry Your Heart' is an overly ambitious play that attempts to say so much more than it's capable of saying. In the first place, it's about a heart transplant, but then, in the second and third and fourth place, it attempts to make connections between the various characters we meet."
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"The play concludes so abruptly that it takes an usher clapping to let us know we are done. Odd. As it is, Kelly goes wide, not deep. The actors are not given much of a chance to spread their wings because the text keeps them grounded...As to the direction – Cate Caplin keeps everything moving along without incident. All in all, this is a noble gesture that had some in the audience rapt. It is certainly a subject that could use more than one light on it. So bravo for that."
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"It’s a tale of uncanny twists of fate, the mysterious connections between human lives, and hope in the midst of grief. If it sounds trite, unfortunately, it is. The show plays out like a near-soap-operatic Lifetime movie, navigating audiences through foreseeable plot twists and unnaturally poetic dialogue...It will satisfy those in the mood for some ultimately heartwarming drama or some lyrical poetry."
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