'It doesn't happen all the time. That you really connect with someone. It's rare to meet someone like you.'

Gabriel Dolan's never been up to much. That's what everyone says. Until she meets Alex, a young, ambitious woman who sells essential oils for a multi-level marketing company called Paradise - and overnight, Gabriel is drawn into a bright, new, floral-scented world.

In Paradise, you're your own boss. In Paradise, you could make a fortune. Embraced by a new community of women just like her, Gabriel rises through the ranks of the company like a shooting star. But when she gets to the top, it doesn't quite feel like she thought it would.

Margaret Perry's play Paradise Now! is a funny and raging drama about ambition, exploitation and the search for connection in a fractured world. It was first performed by an all-female cast at the Bush Theatre, London, in December 2022, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, and was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre at the Oliver Awards.

About the Author

Margaret Perry is a playwright from Cork. Her debut play Porcelain was produced by the Abbey Theatre in March 2018. Her second play, Collapsible, was an Edinburgh Fringe 2019 festival pick, won the Fishamble New Writing Award at Dublin Fringe 2019, and transferred to the Bush Theatre in February 2020. Paradise Now! was nominated for a 2023 Olivier Award (Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre) and her stage adaptation of Maggie Nelson's genre-bending book Bluets was produced at the Royal Court Theatre in 2024. She has been part of writers groups at Soho Theatre and The Royal Court, and she is a MacDowell Fellow.

Reviews

'A clever satire of modern feminism that might well be the best new play of the year... skewers the Instagram generation's obsession with authenticity as a substitute for female power... Like a Top Girls for today's "self empowerment" generation... strange, lovely and fresh as paint... Perry blends her satirical nous with an offbeat naturalism flecked with moments of startling surreal humour'

* Telegraph *

'A dark and unusual comedy... hilarious... a blast'

* WhatsOnStage *

'A sharply funny look at female friendships and the lure of success... Smart, funny, and heart-bruising... Perry delves into female friendships, desperate ambition, exploitation, loneliness and grief with a deft touch... She has a nimble way with dialogue and a beguiling line in humour'

* The Stage *

'Hugely enjoyable and endlessly watchable... Perry has a knack for writing dialogue that sounds organic in each of her very different characters' mouths... And it is truly hysterical, too. It had me in stitches'

* Time Out *

'A sharp satire of girlboss extremes... darkly comical and often moving... an arresting assessment of feminism in the social media age'

* Guardian *

'Dynamic and brilliant... a modern classic'

* Everything Theatre *

'A joy... even the most heartbreaking moments are riddled with Perry's wry jokes and whip-sharp commentary on life... Go, go twice, go again. You'll have no regrets'

* The Spy in the Stalls *



Book Information
ISBN 9781839045288
Author Margaret Perry
Format Paperback
Page Count 104
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 7mm