Heaven

Ian C. Nelson is the former Assistant Director of Libraries (Collection
Management & Budget) at the University of Saskatchewan and Dramaturge
for the Festival de la Dramaturgie des Prairies.

George Walker manages to take the extreme manifestations of the nasty
underside of contemporary society, shake them all together into a
concoction that ought to be bitter, and come out in the end with a witty
blend that is bloody and devilish. With Heaven he earns another jewel in
his iconoclastic crown and gives humor hard veneer of black. His
premise: “When people suffer, the response to that suffering has to be
better than ‘it’s all gonna be all right in heaven.’”

In an urban public park, racial and religious stances take the fore
with a not surprising revelation that “every body hates everybody
else.” Actions speak louder than words and Walker gives his characters
pause for thought only after each violent deed of betrayal. Characters
are killed off one by one, only to return—perhaps as the figment of
someone’s imagination—disgruntled with heaven’s lot. A
contemporary sitcom wit pervades their dialogue.