#5 Shortness of Breath
Music by Zina Goldrich
Lyrics by Marcy Heisler
Book by Jodi Picoult and Tim McDonald
Imagine if five musical theatre writing teams began to chronicle the experience of living through coronavirus in real time: This is the premise behind BREATHE, a collection of five musical theatre vignettes that address the toll the virus has taken on five very different relationships.
Vivian (70s) is reluctantly attending her husband Charles (70s) Zoom funeral, their marriage having long been ruined by infidelity and bitterness. As soon as Vivian logs off and begins to pack his belongings away, Charles appears as a ghost, with unfinished business that requires them to retrace the steps that led to this point.