Strange events are occurring in the small town of Thebes, USA. Knocked out by a falling statue of the Virgin Mary, Mrs Leontina Scales wakes up not quite the woman she was before. What on earth are her sons and her foul-mouthed daughter Tabitha supposed to do with a mad mother who speaks in tongues? Meanwhile, choir director Jeremy Carr needs a rehearsal venue for his gay singing group. Could the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mysteries be his salvation? As the year draws to a close, the Radical Radiants battle the Catholics, a Christmas pageant goes horribly awry, and a child is born...Frantic, funny and farcical, The Next Queen of Heaven is a modern masterpiece from the incredible imagination of Gregory Maguire.