When an image of Jesus appears on the side of a Tim Hortons restaurant in Nately, Nova Scotia, life is forever changed. The town's inhabitants are challenged to ask difficult questions about faith, life and love with sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious results. Complicating the matter, of course, are the more mundane questions of whether this appearance is a miracle, an accident or quite possibly even a hoax.
At the centre of this wickedly entertaining play resides the more existential and personal question of what has happened to our notion of meaning and ethics in the strip-mall culture of concrete and crass competition which has replaced a more pastoral and rural life of care for the earth, the cycle of the seasons and its festivals, and the blessings of renewal in the family. Has religion lost the ability to mediate these two conditions, or did it ever really have that power?
Halo is a brilliant examination of the need to believe and the power of forgiveness. Cast of three women and four men.
An image of Jesus appears on the side of a Tim Horton's restaurant. Cast of 3 women and 4 men.
"Halo successfully melds faith, drama and honour … very funny and quite moving."
— Halifax Daily News
“Halo is theatre at its very best. There is not a false note in this high-wire act of comedy and tragedy with beautifully-written, believable characters who never lose their balance in script or performance. [MacDonald] is a writer to watch.”
— The Chronicle Herald
“**** … Brimming with humour and humanity, Halo retains a serious, poignant core that resonates deeply in a post 9/11 world. Beautifully constructed, it’s a homegrown work that’s slowly but surely establishing a North American-wide reputation.”
— HFX Entertainment Guide
“As gullible faith and hard-hearted defeatism collide in the face of a possible miracle, Canadian playwright Josh MacDonald’s warmhearted Halo finds its way to genuine moments of human reconciliation and acceptance.”
— Los Angeles Times
“Halo is selling out most nights—a reflection on the true nature of miracles that is anything but pious.”
— Vancouver Sun, B.C.
"Beguiling … Josh MacDonald has crafted an emotionally rich tale. Halo is a fine example of why intimate barebones theatre can be the most rewarding theatre of all."
— Edge Los Angeles
"Halo is a very significant dramatic achievement of the last five years, and the best new play I’ve seen produced and published in that time. Halo ’s ongoing success across Canada bears witness to the fact that this play has touched a universal chord— its funny, yet challenging exploration of faith and small-town life marks it as a Maritime Our Town.”
— Michael Melski, Playwright
