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Bright Half Life
A moving love story that spans decades in an instant—from marriage, children, skydiving, and the infinite moments that make a life together.
112 pages, Unknown Binding
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 19, 2017
Quantum physics: a love story.
By fits and starts, jumping back and forth on their timeline, we learn how Vicky and Erica met, fell in love, got married, had children, got divorced, and rekindled their friendship. Because we know how the marriage ends two decades after it begins, jumps to events closer to the beginning of the relationship take on an added poignancy, because you know the sweetness doesn't last. And yet, as the very last moment of the play implies, the relationship wasn't a failure, because it existed, and was a good thing. By treating a relationship as if it were a series of waves and particles, as opposed to one discrete timeline, Barfield has created a nuanced portrait of a love in all its complications.
And things are quite complicated for Vicky and Erica. Vicky is a woman of color and Erica is white. When they first meet, Vicky is Erica's boss. Vicky's family is very traditional and doesn't know she's queer. Erica is somewhat scattered and doesn't really know what she wants from life, while Vicky is focused on smashing all the glass ceilings evar. These differences lead to killer dialogues that create rifts, cement over them, and crack them open again as time goes by.
From a staging pov, Barfield has created quite a challenge for a director, and it will take a gifted, experienced one to fully bring her vision to life. To open up casting, Barfield has written certain passages a few different ways, to allow for Vicky being cast as African American, Latina, or Asian American. This preserves one of the play's central themes while allowing a director to cast the best actress for the part without reservation. Libraries with significant collections of plays will want to include this as an example of the creative, inclusive work going on in 21st-century drama, but the work is most suitable for medium-to-large collections in urban areas. Enthusiastically recommended.
By fits and starts, jumping back and forth on their timeline, we learn how Vicky and Erica met, fell in love, got married, had children, got divorced, and rekindled their friendship. Because we know how the marriage ends two decades after it begins, jumps to events closer to the beginning of the relationship take on an added poignancy, because you know the sweetness doesn't last. And yet, as the very last moment of the play implies, the relationship wasn't a failure, because it existed, and was a good thing. By treating a relationship as if it were a series of waves and particles, as opposed to one discrete timeline, Barfield has created a nuanced portrait of a love in all its complications.
And things are quite complicated for Vicky and Erica. Vicky is a woman of color and Erica is white. When they first meet, Vicky is Erica's boss. Vicky's family is very traditional and doesn't know she's queer. Erica is somewhat scattered and doesn't really know what she wants from life, while Vicky is focused on smashing all the glass ceilings evar. These differences lead to killer dialogues that create rifts, cement over them, and crack them open again as time goes by.
From a staging pov, Barfield has created quite a challenge for a director, and it will take a gifted, experienced one to fully bring her vision to life. To open up casting, Barfield has written certain passages a few different ways, to allow for Vicky being cast as African American, Latina, or Asian American. This preserves one of the play's central themes while allowing a director to cast the best actress for the part without reservation. Libraries with significant collections of plays will want to include this as an example of the creative, inclusive work going on in 21st-century drama, but the work is most suitable for medium-to-large collections in urban areas. Enthusiastically recommended.
January 9, 2025
need to see this performed live asap, it was SO good, I can only imagine seeing it in a theater
July 4, 2016
One hour play of birth and dissolution of relationship.
The play is very raw - essentially no set, no props and very frequent time-jumps. Two leading characters provide rich and layered material for any actresses playing them.
The play is very raw - essentially no set, no props and very frequent time-jumps. Two leading characters provide rich and layered material for any actresses playing them.
March 27, 2024
Heartbreaking!!! I would not have picked this up if I knew it would rip my heart out like that! The monologue at the end 😭😭😭
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November 11, 2022why am i about to cry in a public space
December 9, 2024
Perfect example of what we wanna see in LGBTQ+ theatre- intersectionality, heart, multidimensional lesbians!
October 3, 2018
I would like to see this produced as a play. I don't know what the time jumps add to the understanding of the material or how they are demonstrated in action. I suspect that knowing what time things are being said is not necessarily that important, or important at all. I like that it takes a while to get to know Erica. She doesn't always know how to say what she means until too late. I LOVE the playwright notes/appendix with the lines that can support actresses of alternative ethnicities playing Vicky.
September 1, 2023
“You collapsed / Like a star?”
Surprisingly romantic, or at least persuasive. Even though it’s organized as a big mess it still progresses so cleanly, I can’t imagine what the editing process must have been like.
Surprisingly romantic, or at least persuasive. Even though it’s organized as a big mess it still progresses so cleanly, I can’t imagine what the editing process must have been like.
July 30, 2025
🥰💔😭
I loved this play so much. I would jump at the chance to see it performed. Leaping in time backwards and forwards, this play is a collage of scenes from a lesbian relationship. While each scene is only a moment, the collection explores so much depth and the effect is deeply moving.
I loved this play so much. I would jump at the chance to see it performed. Leaping in time backwards and forwards, this play is a collage of scenes from a lesbian relationship. While each scene is only a moment, the collection explores so much depth and the effect is deeply moving.
December 17, 2017
Inoffensive, intimate portrayal of a relationship that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Some moments of real poignancy.
October 17, 2021
A delightful play to perform, despite some of the inconsistencies in formatting. Reminded me a lot of Eternal Sunshine with its loops and flashbacks.
September 19, 2022
this is my second time reading this play and I literally love it so much
October 10, 2022
this was sad
January 20, 2023
A really lovely portrayal of a queer love story that is refreshing in the fact that it's not centered around trauma. Interesting arrangement of time and the story as well.
March 26, 2023
i will be thinking about this play forever and idk if i like that
June 4, 2023
this was hard to rate bc it was OUCH to read so that’s good but also formatting was so confusing. i’m sure it’s better staged
November 16, 2023
4.5 stars. Erica’s final monologue is breathtaking. I think seeing this life would break me open.
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November 21, 2023the agony of being known 🤝 erica’s final monolouge
November 4, 2024
would love to see this staged
August 22, 2023
Ugly tears!!! I love this style of play. It's giving "Lungs" for the queer people!!
November 5, 2024
knife nearby search
June 20, 2016
I really enjoyed Ms. Barfield's 'The Call' (5 stars from me for that one), but this just seems slight and a bit disjointed (intentionally), at least in just reading the script. It surely plays better than it reads, but I came away with a 'meh' reaction.
May 3, 2023
I like the structure of this play and how we are constantly changing timelines. There are also 2 characters in the whole play and I really loved how we got to see their relationship from start to finish and everything in between.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews