Their Great Magic
By Terence Patrick Hughes
About the Work
Their Great Magic is a ghost story wrapped around a family drama, set in the quiet, wooded ridges of Woodstock, NY. A year after a fatal car crash near their mountain-top home, celebrated novelist John Irwin is barely holding himself together. He survived. His wife, Helen, did not. And now her ghost will not leave him alone.
Sleep-deprived, creatively paralyzed, and drifting toward oblivion, John is pulled deeper into grief as Helen’s presence grows more relentless. When his daughter, Violet, arrives with her new boyfriend, their attempted intervention dissolves into a battle of memory, wit, resentment, and unfinished love — between the living and the dead.
The piece moves fast, blending sharp dialogue, supernatural mischief, and the raw ache of a family trying to reconcile what’s left after loss. It’s funny, haunted, and deeply human.
Production History
Produced by: Boomerang Theatre Company
Link: https://www.boomerangtheatre.org/
Year: [Add year if you want it listed]
Additional Production Info:
OnStage Listing – https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/boomerang-theatre-company/their-great-magic-98580/about
Excerpt
A year ago, acclaimed American novelist, John Irwin, and his wife suffered a terrible car crash near their mountain-top home in Woodstock, NY. He survived, she did not. After months of mourning, insurance litigation, and tabloid harassment, Helen’s ghost has returned to constantly haunt John and keep him from writing, sleeping, and staying sober. His daughter, Violet, and her new boyfriend arrive to try and rescue John from his downward spiral, only to be caught up in a wild war of words and wit that reaches far beyond our material world.
Critical Notes
A comic, sharp-tongued exploration of grief, love, and the strange places memory lingers.
— Production Response
Related Works
If you enjoyed Their Great Magic, you may also like:
A Real Stand Up Guy
Tom Tucker’s
Standing on the Edge of Some Crazy Cliff (or whichever title belongs in play category — feel free to swap)
Inquiries
For production rights or reprint requests: admin@terencepatrickhughes.com
Image Credit
Image generated using AI, art-directed to reflect the atmosphere of Their Great Credit