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My Mother's Funeral: The Show

  • Kelly Jones
  • Full Length Play, Dark Comedy, Comedy, Present Day, Contemporary
  • 1M, 2F
  • ISBN: 9781839043802

Abigail's mum is dead. But it turns out she can't afford her to be. Did you know how expensive it is to die? It's £4,000 for the funeral. Extra for flowers. And even more if you want sausage rolls. Otherwise, she'll get a council funeral and an unmarked grave.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Dark Comedy, Comedy
  • 70 minutes

  • Time Period: Present Day, Contemporary
  • Target Audience: Adult
  • Set Requirements: Flexible Staging

  • Performance Group:
  • College Theatre / Student, Blackbox / Second Stage /Fringe Groups, Professional Theatre

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! Edinburgh Fringe First Award (2024)
Abigail's mum is dead. But it turns out she can't afford her to be. Did you know how expensive it is to die? It's £4,000 for the funeral. Extra for flowers. And even more if you want sausage rolls. Otherwise, she'll get a council funeral and an unmarked grave.

In her work as a playwright, Abigail has been asked to write about something raw, from her 'unique working-class lens'. Something that will make the audience feel gratifyingly bad about themselves. And so, to afford the funeral, she has to write about her mum.

Kelly Jones's My Mother’s Funeral: The Show playfully tackles the inequalities we face around death, and the cost of turning your loved ones into art. It was co-produced by Paines Plough; Mercury Theatre, Colchester; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry; Landmark Theatres and Royal & Derngate, Northampton – and premiered in 2024 at the Belgrade, before a UK tour including a run at Paines Plough's Roundabout at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won a Fringe First Award and a Summerhall Lustrum Award.
REVIEWS:

"Superb... a clever, funny, incisive look at money, class and theatre - as well as death."

Scotsman

"A startling comedy sprung from class war and grief... unexpectedly funny... its weighty themes are handled by Jones with a lightness of touch and a needling sense of humour."

The Guardian

"Ambitious, entertaining and provocative... hugely promising."

Time Out

"A warm, tender and at times deeply moving play."

The Stage

"Incredibly witty and punchily crafted... Jones writes with at-times lacerating edge... a middle finger to the developmental hell faced by writers on UK stages."

WhatsOnStage

"A script that brims with wicked wit and sharp observation... the pace doesn't slack once in 70 minutes of fast and furious comedy and pathos... A fierce exploration from a brave new talent, My Mother's Funeral is truly a class act."

Reviews Hub

"Heartbreaking, harrowing, multi-layered and memorable... Kelly Jones' writing is genius."

West End Best Friend

"Made the audience laugh and cry, sometimes barely a minute apart... a play that packs punches, sowing emotional seeds that blossom only a few scenes later."

Edinburgh Reviews

"Sharp and very funny... great fun."

British Theatre Guide

"Thought-provoking and hilarious... a true highlight of the Edinburgh Fringe this year... not to be missed."

A Youngish Perspective

"A superb new play... keeps the audience gripped to the last."

The Quinntessential Review

"Brimming with emotion and meta-theatrical wit... intelligent, engaging and pertinent... a searing success."

Corr Blimey

Premiere Production: Paines Plough tour, 2024.

Characters

  • Casting: 1M, 2F
  • Casting Notes: Three cast members play 20 characters.

Available Material

Name Price
My Mother's Funeral: The Show Script This is optional. Order Now

Abigail's mum is dead. But it turns out she can't afford her to be. Did you know how expensive it is to die? It's £4,000 for the funeral. Extra for flowers. And even more if you want sausage rolls. Otherwise, she'll get a council funeral and an unmarked grave.

In her work as a playwright, Abigail has been asked to write about something raw, from her 'unique working-class lens'. Something that will make the audience feel gratifyingly bad about themselves. And so, to afford the funeral, she has to write about her mum.

Kelly Jones's My Mother’s Funeral: The Show playfully tackles the inequalities we face around death, and the cost of turning your loved ones into art. It was co-produced by Paines Plough; Mercury Theatre, Colchester; Belgrade Theatre, Coventry; Landmark Theatres and Royal & Derngate, Northampton – and premiered in 2024 at the Belgrade, before a UK tour including a run at Paines Plough's Roundabout at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won a Fringe First Award and a Summerhall Lustrum Award.

$24.95

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