Apr 1
Review: 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' Peppered with Humor, Asks Serious Questions
Will Demers READ TIME: 3 MIN.
A small cafe, two people and one cell phone. As the phone rings unanswered for a period of time, Jean (Ricci Mann) has had enough; she answers the cell belonging to Gordon (Mario K. Sasso). Trouble is, he's quietly passed on while enjoying his soup. Sarah Ruhl, who studied here in Providence at Brown University and was a Pulitzer finalist for "The Clean House," whose play "Becky Nurse of Salem" was produced recently by Trinity Repertory Company, gets an early work, "Dead Man's Cell Phone," presented by Through the Glass Theatre Ensemble.
The 2007 work by Ruhl premiered Off-Broadway in 2008 starring Mary Louise-Parker. While Jean herself doesn't own a phone, after she reluctantly answers Gordon's she becomes obsessed with his past life. As one call after another comes through, she answers them all, making it her job to inform his family, colleagues, and other strangers to her about his demise, and hoping to glean information about how he lived. But Gordon's life wasn't at all what she expected, and it becomes her journey to find connections in an age where people focus on digital devices.
Source: Courtesy of Through the Glass Theatre Ensemble
"Dead Man's Cell Phone" is peppered with more humor than pathos – Ruhl's work is darkly funny – but it's strangely satisfying. As Jean meets Gordon's Mom (Lucid Clairvoyant, very funny and dryly dispassionate), she seems as though she'd always expected her son to go first. His brother, Dwight (Kurt Hoorah), doesn't seem overly sad about his passing, but his ex-wife, Hermia (Rachel Hanauer, in a very funny performance), is beside herself with grief; their marriage wasn't as close as it might have been.
But the revelation about Gordon's work brings the most challenges to Jean, and she might not be able to reconcile her feelings about his professional choices. Mann's very expressive facial features convey just how alarming and confusing this new experience is for her. She's dynamic and quite humorous.
Source: Courtesy of Through the Glass Theatre Ensemble
Meeting with a mistress (Jhoira Walsh) and then a "business associate" (also Walsh) further confuses Jean. But as she gets to know Gordon's mom, his ex-wife, and, finally, Dwight, she discovers the dead man isn't who she should be obsessing over at all.
Ruhl's play skillfully examines our propensity to assume our digital selves are who we must be, in the absence of real, human connections. Willing to lay bare the most essential of emotions – love – she takes us to the very real world of loss, grief, and memorializations of the departed. Director Olivia M Sahlin skillfully allows her talented cast to breathe vibrant life into the characters.
Sasso's Gordon has only a few brief appearances, but he makes the most of his presence with a wild and almost over-the-top monologue about the last few minutes of his life. Hoorah's Dwight is a sweet and heartfelt man who may have been living in his brother's shadow for too long. Walsh gives two very different characters some fun quirks, and Hanauer, who is also this ensemble's artistic director, depicts Hermia with an absolutely hilarious performance. This is the first full length production by this company, and it's a grand start. One may look forward to future works produced by them.
"Dead Man's Cell Phone" is presented through April 6 by Through the Glass Theatre at AS220's Black Box Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Providence, RI 02903. For information or tickets, visit www.ThroughTheGlassTheatre.com or https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/dead-mans-cell-phone.
