A deeply moving meditation on love, loss and grief.
October 1972. In a city somewhere in the American Midwest, Carla is trying to rebuild her life. Her husband is gone – killed in Vietnam. Now, under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law, she must raise her young son whilst struggling to avoid the sympathy of her local community. But everything changes with the unexpected arrival of a soldier on her doorstep.
Bruce Norris’s play Purple Heart was first performed by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, in July 2002. It received its UK premiere at the Gate Theatre, London, in March 2013.
‘[A] searing acid burn of a play… laughs gulped down with horror’
— Exeunt Magazine
‘Unpicks the rawest of human emotions… [Norris] artfully slices his way through the dialogue with humour and wit’
— Whatsonstage.com
‘It bubbles with anger… excruciatingly funny dialogue’
— Financial Times
‘An abiding mixture of laughter and deep sadness’
— British Theatre Guide
‘A cracking play… with a tangible, angry compassion for ordinary Americans touched by foreign wars they barely comprehend’
— Time Out
