Katie Suarez saved 4 lives today. The 28 year old jogger who was attacked and killed running in Brooklyn the day before the NY Marathon was an organ donor. She saved 4 people, from ages 12-75, with her heart, both kidneys, liver and pancreas. We can all become organ donors by checking off the boxes on our drivers’ licenses.

That's the theme of the new Off-Broadway musical, The Heart directed by Christopher Ashley, artistic director of Roundabout Theatre Company. In the play, Simon Lamar, (Nick T. Daly) a 19 year old surfer, has a fatal car accident, leaving him brain dead. Since he never checked the box on his license, it's unclear as to whether he would have been willing to be an organ donor. So the decision falls to his divorced parents, Sean and Marianne (Jason Tam and K. Smith).

It’s obvious from the title as to what their decision is, yet playwright Kait Kerrigan tries to create more drama by having their relationship be contentious and initially disagreeing on whether their son would have been an organ donor. “Was he a generous person?” asks the social worker.

The death of a 19 year old and the prospect of organ donorship contains enough tension without having to include common over-used tropes. Kerrigan’s attempts at drama detract when the situation certainly is dramatic enough. As Marianne dreams of her son as royalty being prepared for his funeral. Later as the medical team waits to see if the surgery was successful, we see both donor and recipient in an imagined encounter where Claire, the 50 year old recipient, thanks Simon for his heart.

The ensemble is extremely talented and almost every actor performs a solo, sometimes designed to give personality to the peripheral characters. (Music & Lyrics by Anne and Ian Eisendrath.) By creating backstories for some of the medical personnel, the musical tries to provide humor. Obviously gay, social worker Thomas (Lincoln Clauss) stays with the body throughout the donation process. Marthe (Wren Rivera) is an avid gamer who uses her skills in dealing with the organ registry and the time constraints of keeping the organs viable, essentially deciding who gets the heart and who must remain on the waiting list.

The majority of the musical concentrates on the young surfer, his parents and his DJ girl friend Juliette, (Max McKenna). Juliet plays loud, pulsating electronic music, ostensibly indicating a healthy heartbeat. In addition, playwright Kerrigan uses imagery of brain waves and ocean waves on a backdrop video screen.

Less attention is spent on the eventual recipient, Claire, (talented Heidi Blickenstaff). Having been on the donor wait list for three years, Claire has decided to give up when she receives the surprising phone call, telling her to come into the hospital to finally get her heart.

She gets to the hospital where she is handed a gown and pad and pen in case she wants to write to Simon’s family. What about the risks of her own surgery and recovery?

As the play continues, it includes a voice-over giving actual statistics about organ transplants. Many people are on waiting lists for 3-5 years, and sadly, 17 die every day waiting for an organ.

Someone I know suggested that donor transplant is a strange subject for a play, let alone a musical. The power of theater is that it can be about anything: a war, a horse, Mrs. Lincoln, corn, even a pinball wizard. I wouldn’t recommend this show or anyone who has gone through any stage of the transplant procedure or heart surgery, either as family or recipient. It might evoke some painful memories.

The Heart had potential to make an impact on the audience and, undoubtedly, many in the audience shed a tear or two and learned a bit. Hopefully some of them will be moved enough to check off the box on their licenses. Not only can theater entertain, it can also instruct and educate and maybe do some good.