Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven

Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven is a stage play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis that follows the inner workings of a women's halfway house. The play premiered in 2019 Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company.

Plot

The play follows an ensemble of characters living and working in a women's halfway house in New York. As they cope with rage, addiction and mental health, they search for meaning and friendship among their struggles.

The play is notable for featuring 18 individual characters among an ensemble cast.

Production history

The play premiered Off-Broadway in December 2019 at Atlantic Theatre Company in a co-production with LAByrinth. It was directed by John Ortiz and starred Elizabeth Rodriguez as Miss Rivera, Liza Colón-Zayas as Sarge, Patrice Johnson Chevannes as Wanda Wheels, Esteban Andres Cruz as Venus Ramirez and Kara Young as Melba Diaz, among an ensemble cast. The production began previews on November 14, 2019, with an official opening on December 9, 2019, running through January 5, 2020 after an extension due to high demand.

The production sold out its entire run and received critical acclaim, with The New York Times praising the show's "heaving humanity," with praise for the cast's performance, particularly that of Colón-Zayas, which was lauded as "commanding." New York Theatre Guide praised Guirgis' writing for its "way of not judging his characters so that we won't either," with praise for the cast. The production received eight Drama Desk Award nominations, including Outstanding Play, winning one for Colón-Zayas, three Outer Critics Circle Award nominations,, two Drama League Award nominations for Distinguished Performance for Rodriguez and Colón-Zayas, and two Lucille Lortel Award nominations, including Outstanding Play.

Cast and characters

Accolades