My Joy is Heavy
Closing: April 12, 2026My Joy is Heavy - 2026 Off-Broadway History , Info & More
New York Theatre Workshop
79 East 4th Street New York, NY 10003
My Joy is Heavy by Obie-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons (Hundred Days, The Keep Going Songs) is a deeply personal portrait of a young family yearning for connection amidst the loss of a pregnancy in rural isolation. Surrounded by snow and wrapped in loneliness, they uncover the unexpected joys and humor that can emerge in the wake of loss.
My Joy is Heavy - 2026 - Off-Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR My Joy is Heavy
Theater review: The Bengsons sing of a pregnant pause in My Joy Is Heavy
9 / 10
Nick Kourtides’s sound is crisp and well-balanced, and Rachel Chavkin’s direction adds considerable visual dynamism to a story that is necessarily about confinement, with particular help from Alan Edwards’s lighting and David Bengali’s video design. Aside from one droop at the two-thirds mark, the energy stays high, and episodes of goofy humor periodically cut the navel-gazing tension. But there’s no question that, as promised by the title, a lot of this show is pretty heavy going.
Why Didn’t I Love the Bengsons’ My Joy Is Heavy?
4 / 10
It can feel heartless to accept the offer of this kind of confessional art-making with anything less than reverential sympathy. But that’s the issue right there: For all the Bengsons’ outward focus on freedom (“Every performance of My Joy Is Heavy has a relaxed house,” Abigail tells us before the show, “which means you can do whatever is good for your body and nervous system”), there is a role we’re expected to play here, a narrow — if supposedly transcendent — emotional exchange toward which we’re being steered. When the Bengsons tell us to open our metaphorical hymnbooks to whatever page, we’re meant to kneel or stand or bow our heads accordingly. There may be moments when the formula succeeds, just as there are moments during a church service where something true and bright can come of the prescribed practice. But what there isn’t is room for questions, and I left My Joy Is Heavy with plenty.
Category
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 24, 2026
New York Theatre Workshop will present a one-week extension for the world premiere of My Joy is Heavy, created and performed by Obie Award-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons.
by A.A. Cristi - March 17, 2026
New York Theatre Workshop is presenting the world premiere of My Joy is Heavy, created and performed by Obie Award-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons, directed by Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Rachel Chavkin. Read the reviews!
by A.A. Cristi - December 3, 2025
New York Theatre Workshop has announced dates and ticket information for the world premiere of My Joy is Heavy, created and performed by Obie Award-winning duo & NYTW Usual Suspects The Bengsons (Hundred Days, The Keep Going Songs), directed by Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812).
My Joy is Heavy History
Other Productions of My Joy is Heavy
| 2026 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
My Joy is Heavy - 2026 Off-Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | The Bengsons & Or Matias |
| 2026 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection and Video Design | David Bengali |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL | Rachel Chavkin |
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL | My Joy is Heavy |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical | Abigail Bengson |
| 2026 | The Lortels | Outstanding Projection Design | David Bengali |
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