Broken Heart Story
The Broken Heart Story is the story of two women. The main characters are a mannish writer and her complete opposite, a vain and love-hungry scatterbrain. Both women seek happiness in the way they see best, but also fettered by the definitions and expectations of the world surrounding them. In the end, the women’s conflicting conceptions of freedom and perhaps a genuine lack of it lead them face to face on the brink of a momentous decision.
The Broken Heart Story is a story of art and love. It examines the surrounding world first and foremost through the internal reality of the characters. The play delves into questions of identity, choices, and how to live to achieve happiness. The play doesn’t offer answers or guidance. Instead, it paints a poetic, absurd landscape overflowing with questions. The form of the text borrows influences not only from American pop culture but also Brecht’s tableau-like learning plays and their form of direct audience address.
The rainy world of the play nevertheless bubbles with humour and a light touch in the face of big questions. Beneath its naive style, The Broken Heart Story creates an overview of contemporary society, especially through its female characters. ”To be a subject or an object?” wonders a whiskered woman, a cat’s skull in her hand.
"Some questions:
Can art change reality?
When did you last comfort someone else?
Do you want a gift?
Do you like ketchup?
Do you like driving fast?
Where does the soul reside?
When did you cry last?
What do you think about theatre?
Do you watch F1 races sometimes?
Is it raining over there?
What is love?"
The play has been translated into English, German, Danish, Swedish, Estonian, Spanish, Lithuanian, Czech and Greek.
In addition to the Finnish productions, it has been produced by the Ingenue Theatre at the Center For Performance Research in New York, the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre in Vilnius and in Sala Villarroel and Sala Atrium theaters in Barcelona.
