AustLit

'It's Jem Glass' seventh birthday. The cake is made, the party is about to start. But something's wrong. Jem has been fainting, he thinks there is a man in his radio and he is about to shock the rest of the family with a startling announcement.

A black cloud hangs over the Prior family home. Danny, the eldest son, was killed by a car seven years ago and the burden of grief borne by his widow and his mother has failed to diminish over time. All they have left are memories and prayers.

That is until Jem arrives at their house, claiming that he is Danny reborn.

As the lives of these two fractured families are flung together, the gripping mystery begins to unravel.

''Poor Boy' asks big questions about humanity and our place in the universe. What is a soul and if we have one, who owns it? What do we believe in? What is faith and how do we know when it is misplaced? The resulting family drama is at once incandescently comic and radiantly uplifting.

From the pen of playwright Matt Cameron, 'Poor Boy' is inspired by an original idea and songs from the legendary Tim Finn.' (STC blurb, http://sydneytheatre.com.au/)