Terminally Ill
Created by Melissa Yi
Ottawa, ON | 75 mins
Terminally Ill is on now as part of the undercurrents festival, after having originally workshopped in May 2023 as part of the TACTICS Development Series. Inspired by Dr. Melissa Yi’s award-winning mystery novel, the play brings the audience on a ride with a story of murder, mystery, comedy and romance.
Ottawa-born playwright/producer/actor and author, Yi is incredibly talented. An emergency physician by day, she weaves her experiences into her many plays and the novel for the basis of this show, which brings reality to the mystery side of this performance. Her play I Am The Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World (And Other True Tales from the Emergency Room) was selected for the Stage One Festival of New Canadian Work at Calgary’s Lunchbox Theatre and was also seen at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2019.
Photo by Jen Derbach.
Terminally Ill follows the detective skills of Doctor Hope Sze as she works to solve the mysteries behind some of her patients’ unfortunate fates as she tries to make sense of the tumultuous scenes around her. When an Elvis impersonator’s death-defying trick goes awry, who is to blame? A patient was close to death, but were they brought closer by nefarious characters? A young girl is covering for something or someone, but who and why? The audience follows the rapid pace as we weave between the plot lines—all while Doctor Sze is managing her regular hospital workload and two potential beaus.
Though it may sound dramatic, the fast-paced and sometimes chaotic show is a full-on comedy, with one-liners, physical comedy and killer lighting cues breaking the audience into laughter. Through the large, diverse cast, the audience is spun through many characters who all are a part of the tangled plots of mischief.
If quirky, eccentric shows are up your alley, this is the undercurrents pick for you. A diamond in the rough, we can’t wait to see what the next iteration of this show brings!
Terminally Ill is playing at undercurrents until Feb. 10. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, ranging from $10 to $75. For more information and to purchase tickets, see the undercurrents schedule here.
