Hannah Howie on Funeral For My Boobs: 'What a way to celebrate your life in style'
The Edinburgh-born performer has written and stars in a musical that aims to turn something bad into a force for good
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There are funerals that call for solemn black suits and hushed voices. And there are funerals that demand sequins and power ballads. Funeral For My Boobs, a new cabaret-style musical, promises very much the latter. Written by and starring Edinburgh-born performer Hannah Howie, the production is inspired by her own experience of undergoing a preventative double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. This devastating decision came after discovering she carries a gene that significantly increases her risk of developing breast cancer. The show transforms a deeply personal medical experience into something hilariously life-affirming.
The spark for the piece came from the late Kris Hallenga, founder of breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!. Hallenga famously hosted a ‘living funeral’ filled with glitter, dancing and colourful outfits, an idea Howie found irresistible. ‘What a way to celebrate your life in style,’ she says. ‘And then I thought “I wonder if anyone has had a funeral for their boobs?”’ Howie plays the officiant at her own theatrical farewell, joined by two performers embodying her left and right breasts. Together, they deliver a cabaret of reimagined pop classics including ‘One Night Only’, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘That’s Life’.
Developed last year in front of a tiny, invited audience, early reactions were full of what Howie describes as ‘oh I shouldn’t be laughing at this’ giggling. The response since has been overwhelmingly positive, with messages pouring in from women who feel represented by the story. Many have shared their own experiences, thanking Howie for what she describes as ‘making something scary feel speakable’. Ultimately, the show is about living as loudly and as gloriously as you can. Or, as Howie puts it: ‘Life is so desperately short, so take it by the balls (or the boobs, or whatever you have) and run with it. Find the joy.’
Funeral For My Boobs, Òran Mór, Glasgow, Monday 4–Saturday 9 May; Gaiety Theatre, Ayr, Thursday 14–Saturday 16 May; Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Wednesday 20–Sunday 24 May; picture: Kim Hardy.