WIT

Wit is the story of Vivian Bearing, professor of English literature and authority on 17th century English poet John Donne. Vivian is a patient at a major research hospital undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer. The play takes us to Vivian’s past, as it flashes back to her scholarly achievements; and the present, where she is undergoing treatment. As she is led through all the indignities of her illness, her surgical wit transforms itself into a passion for living, and gives her a way to make contact with those around her. Wit for both John Donne and Vivian is a weapon of choice; it doesn’t reconcile us with death, it mercilessly deconstructs it.