Breathing Corpses

by Laura Wade

Amy's found another body in a hotel bedroom. There's a funny smell coming from one of Jim's storage units. And Kate's losing it after spending all day with the police. There's no going back after what they've seen.

Breathing Corpses was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in February 2005.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 13, 2005

Reviews

[baozi 包子 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't rly get what this play is supposed to be telling me

is it just the reactions of ppl reacting to suicide or idk like is there a deeper meaning I don't get

it was so short so it wasn't too bad ig but I felt that it was kinda all over the place.
like that one scene w/ the abusive couple... literally showed up once and then gone.

also Jim's a pussy. u see one dead person n u kys leaving ur wife and children behind. she literally said to go therapy and ur dumbass didn't n now ur dead as hell leaving ur wife a widow and ur children fatherless

and the ending was so random LMAO

idk I think its literally just abt the contrast between different people's reactions to seeing a suicide

EDIT
omg i get it now after rereading it so im giving it an extra star IM SUCH A DUMBASS 😭😭

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saw this at Beckenham Theatre Centre. It wasn't bad (and it was impeccably acted) and it was imaginatively structured, but the character arcs didn't work for me.

Part of the problem was the way it was sold to me: three sets of characters that are mysteriously intertwined. To me, the link was obvious within seconds, so there is no great 'reveal'.

Jim and Elaine's scenes didn't work dramatically: Jim is cheerfully hen-pecked in his first scene and suicidally depressed in his second, after finding a body. Kate also finds a body in equally (if not more) gruesome circumstances, yet her reaction is mere annoyance. Jim is psychologically destroyed; Kate is unaffected. Yet there is no development in Jim's psyche: we don't see how or why he went from normal to suicidal. Similarly, his partner Elaine goes from being self-absorbed and shrewish to attentive and loving (although there's still some selfishness in her concern for Jim, so it's not a total personality transplant).

Amy is amiable but her first scene is a bit dull. If she hadn't been so beautifully played then I would have found the scene interminable.

On the positive side, the dialogue is witty, well-paced and tightly written, and the circular structure of the timeline is imaginative and perfectly constructed. Some playgoers might find the inevitable anachronism confusing, but as Wisehammer says in Our Country's Good, "People with no imagination shouldn't go to the theatre."

[Conway Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really weird play. I'm performing the monologue from the first scene for my practical exam for my Theatre Studies A-level in a few weeks and I think every time I read it I enjoy it a little more. I've never seen it performed and I think the humour isn't at first apparent but it becomes funnier each time I reread it.
I think the circular nature of the play is one of it's best features. I don't really like the middle as I found it hard to follow and the characters less interesting, but the beginning and end scenes are great and I love the strange feeling it leaves.

[Eve Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

One part that’s stuck with me is the body Kate found under the bush was described to be dressed the same way Amy was… which isn’t possible if you put the scenes in order as Amy finds Jim’s body, which is due to him finding Kate’s body.
But then again the last scene with Charlie and the knife is 2 days in September before Kate’s scene, and gives creepy vibes with the knife. So my question is was Amy the body Kate found and if so was she a ghost scene 1 or is it a paradox.
(I’ve overthought this a bit)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dark, intriguing and clever play. It explores the concept of death in a way I haven't seen before. At times it was very uncomfortable to read, but it always had me hooked enough to read on regardless. It has a lot of potential to be taken down different routes in performance, so I would be very interested to see a full production of the play.

[Tsundoku By the Day 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A play I read for my scene project. Absolutely loved it and was great to perform the opening monologue

[Alix Tamburrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

well executed balance of comedy and drama, and brilliant death reveals in most scenes.

[Molly Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

feel like this would’ve have come across better to me on stage , wanted more from each section but less at the same time

[Mackenzie Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A non linear murder mystery, haunting characters

[nikhita]

what just happened? so jim found a body in a box ( Kate) and he unalived. Kate found the body of Amy, who found the body of Jim. Amy was killed by charlie? who is a guest at the hotel she worked at. Ben, kates boyfriend,killed her and dragged her body to the place where Jim was working. But Amy can't find Jim's body if Amy wasn't alive. Bc Kate died first but she died after finding Amy's body. Jim dies but after finding Kates body. Amy found Jim's body. Like sm really wierddd cycle. i actually do not know what is going on in this book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic textbook for Structure.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this play by Laura Wade! She entwines four stories of people tangentially connected by death.

[Vic Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing, fantastic play

[Margherita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant.