A Musical About Miscarriage and the Strange Work of Joy

“There’s no opening yourself up to the full depth of joy without also allowing yourself the possibility of destruction.”

I’m talking to folk-punk musician and performer Shaun Bengson on Zoom when he says this. He and his wife Abigail have been performing their latest musical memoir in New York. Entitled My Joy Is Heavy!, the show recalls their experience getting pregnant and then enduring a miscarriage during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, all while caring for their young son.