Reasons to Be Happy

"Reasons to Be Happy" is a contemporary play by Neil LaBute, simultaneously romantic, painfully realistic, and wonderfully funny — a story about second chances, the choice to stay or leave, and those small reasons that lead us to our own happiness. With much humor, sharp and honest dialogue, and an exposure of human weaknesses, the play poses key questions: How willing are we to forgive? What is true intimacy? And can a person be happy when they do not know themselves? At the center of the plot is a couple who have broken up but have not yet extinguished their feelings. When the former partners meet again, they confront all those unspoken truths, small hurts, and great hopes that continue to hold them together — or push them against each other. Parallel to this, their best friends find themselves entangled in their own web of desires, jealousy, and insecurity.