The spirit of a girl who was killed in tragic circumstances delves into the secret lives of her neighbours as she searches for her killer. Winner of the 1991 Chalmers Outstanding New Play Award.
Seventeen years ago, Isobel was murdered at the tender age of nine. Now she finds herself back in her previous life as a ghost, searching for the person responsible for her untimely death. But this time she’s powerful, having the ability to watch over the living, observe them, and sometimes interact with them.
Of special interest are Isobel’s former neighbours, whom she begins to suffer along with during their dark private experiences. Will she finally get the peace she’s been yearning for?
One of Judith Thompson’s most enduring plays, Lion in the Streets looks at the inner turmoil of ordinary people and the ways in which they cope. It was first performed at the duMaurier Theatre Centre, Toronto, in 1990.
‘Poetic, painful, powerful… Writing this strong is celebrated and revisited for a reason.’ — Spectator Tribune
‘This script is so harsh that it makes you feel like you’ve been stripped, beaten, and abandoned, and so compassionate that it releases floods of grief and gratitude with its touch.’ — Georgia Straight
‘the ghost of a murdered young girl flits through every scene, a poignant reflection of the loneliness and suffering of the other characters… she explores the darkness with such exuberant intelligence, humour and empathy that, at their best, her plays brim with the healing light of revelation’ — MacLean’s Magazine
‘Thompson’s ear for language and her ability to sink a character into the viewer’s mind in less than a minute are dazzling, and her power to stir subconscious fears makes Lion unsettling, disturbing and fascinating’ — NOW Magazine
Chalmers Outstanding New Play Award
