Meet the Hutchinsons: mom Violet works at a diner; dad Winston struggles to keep his job at a slaughterhouse; son Toby fixes cars and wants to own his own garage, and daughter Emma, still in high school, dreams of becoming a doctor. But when a devastating accident occurs, the fallout makes it clear that everyone’s options are limited by what they have inherited, and by what they can, and cannot, choose to give up. Unfolding during three time periods, tiny dreams ignite or die as the events of four days unlock the family’s future, a future that plays out in the middle of the present. Jupiter explores the bonds that hold us together—and the moments that threaten to break us apart.
A moving, darkly comic portrait of a fractured family, Jupiter spans decades in a single living room, where everyday squabbles, scientific experiments, and birthday rituals collide with grief, anger, and forgiveness. But as Emma, her brother Toby, and their parents navigate the fallout from a tragic accident, secrets unravel and old wounds resurface. Unfolding during three time periods, tiny dreams ignite or die as the events of four days unlock the family’s future—a future that plays out in the middle of the present. Colleen Murphy’s brilliant play is a poignant exploration of cause and effect, illustrating how past choices inevitably shape future generations.
News & Reviews
“Welcome to Murphy’s working-class, hourly-wage House of Atreus…An epic of unfulfillment, of disappointment, of anger and lost love.”
—12thNight
“Wracked by dysfunction, the family somehow manages to hang together. Their bond is love, but there is also a dog, which, as any pet lover knows, is sometimes the only glue available… Murphy is at the top of her game.”
—Edmonton Journal
About the Author
Born in Quebec, Colleen Murphy grew up in Northern Ontario. She is a two-time recipient of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama and the Carol Bolt Award for Outstanding Play, both for Pig Girl in 2016 and The December Man / L’homme de décembre in 2007. Other published plays include Jupiter, The Society For The Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius (winner of six Jessie Richardson Awards and three Elizabeth Sterling Awards), The Breathing Hole (shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, U.S.), I Hope My Heart Burns First, Armstrong’s War, The Goodnight Bird, The Piper and Beating Heart Cadaver. Libretti include Fantasma, with composer Ian Cusson, and Oksana G., with composer Aaron Gervais. Colleen is also an award-winning filmmaker. She has been a playwright-in-residence at Finborough Theatre in London UK, and Necessary Angel Theatre in Toronto, and has been a writer-in-residence at seven Canadian universities. Colleen lives in Toronto. She is a Member of the Order of Canada.