My Joy is Heavy ★★★★★

My Joy Is Heavy, the new musical by The Bengsons at New York Theatre Workshop, began as a 27-minute short film commissioned during the all-too-recent COVID-19 pandemic. This expanded theatrical version now runs 70 minutes, and the good news is that this rousing meditation on how to process grief is so enjoyable that even more time would be welcome.

Abigail and Shaun Bengson are known for using their life stories as a canvas for their art, and My Joy Is Heavy is no exception. A memoir of their pandemic time isolated in Abigail’s childhood home in Vermont with their young child Louie and Abigail’s mom, Kathy, the Bengsons immediately want the audience to know that the experience they’re about to undergo will not be a relentless downer — and they make that clear with bountiful humor.

It’s winter, and Abigail sets the scene properly: “OK, so people romanticize New England winters, but in my experience it feels less Norman Rockwell and more Donner Party.” Like those stranded pioneers, Abigail and Shaun are battling illnesses. She’s in a great deal of undiagnosed pain, and he’s severely depressed. Nonetheless, and despite all their personal obstacles and a worldwide epidemic that has them in lockdown, they decide they want to have another baby.

Unlike her mom (who could pop out babies “like a human Pez dispenser”), Abigail has struggled with pregnancy in the past. This mission too ultimately ends up being unsuccessful, leaving Abigail and Shaun to shore up their emotional resources for Louie — who is thoroughly enjoying all the concentrated time he’s getting with his parents and his grandmother — and themselves as life carries on.

The Bengsons always hit the mark with their songs, and the music in My Joy Is Heavy is elevated several notches by the sensational, brassy band, many of whom also play various characters during the show: Aaron Bahr, Ashley Baier, Noga Cabo, Reginald Chapman, Matt Deitchman, and Nicole DeMaio. This score has some real bangers; it’s impossible not to feel uplifted listening to Abigail belt with these top-notch musicians. And choreographer Steph Paul has Shaun, who usually stands in place with instruments in hand, actually dancing around Lee Jellinek’s superb set, and it’s great fun to see him move and groove.

Director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) knows how to energize tricky material, and her skills are on full display in this thoughtful, exuberant production. The Bengsons’ joy may be heavy, but their audiences leave with spirits aloft.