A woman sits in a quiet café. A cell phone rings at the next table. Incessantly. The woman has enough and approaches the man with the ringing phone. But, well, he’s dead. So begins “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” a wildly imaginative new comedy opening at the Waterfront Playhouse and running thru February 18th.
The production is sponsored by Conch Color, and the opening night post-performance party is sponsored by Jack Paul. The 2011/12 season sponsors for the Waterfront Playhouse are Wodu Media, Digital Island Media and ATT: The Real Yellow Pages.
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone” is by Sarah Ruhl, one of the hottest young playwrights on today’s American theater scene. She was the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Award, as well as a Pulitzer Prize finalist. “Cell Phone” was a hit Off-Broadway with Mary Louise Parker (“Weeds”) and was one of the top five most produced plays in 2011 in regional theaters across the country. The Waterfront now brings this wonderfully vibrant piece to the Keys community. The New York Times called it “A beguiling comedy with surprising twists and turns.”
Directed by New York-based artist Stefanie Sertich, “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” tells the story of Jean, the woman in the café. She eventually answers the dead guy’s phone and suddenly finds herself involved with his family and immersed in his shady business dealings. She tries to comfort the dead man’s grande dame of a mother; his wife (a former star of the Ice Follies); his cosmopolitan mistress and his nerdy brother, who looks strangely similar to the dead guy. The Washington Post called “Cell Phone” “smartly entertaining…a lyrical and biting take on how we behave.”
The play boasts an impressive cast. Carbonell Award-winning actress, Lela Elam, plays Jean. Ms. Elam appeared in the acclaimed productions of “Doubt” and the one woman tour-de-force, “No Child…” at the Waterfront Playhouse. “Cell Phone” also stars Brandon Beach (“Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Greetings”) in the dual roles of the dead guy and his brother; Robin Deck (“The Best Man,” “The Full Monty”) as the hilariously opinionated matriarch; Stephanie Yosen as the wife and Shakti Assouline as the mistress. Ms. Yosen and Ms. Assouline played Ivy and Johnna, respectively, in the recent acclaimed production of “August: Osage County” at the Waterfront Playhouse.
Michael Boyer will once again work his design wizardry to create the constantly evolving world of “Cell Phone.” Carmen Rodriguez creates the contemporary costumes, David Bird the highly evocative lighting, and Trish Manley is the stage manager. Dan Simpson of Private Ear Recording Studios and director Stefanie Sertich have created the intricate soundscape for “Cell Phone.”
For tickets call 305-294-5015 or you may purchase them online at www.waterfrontplayhouse.org. Tickets for the $25 previews may also be purchased online or from the box office. All curtain times are 8 PM. Make sure to get your reservations early – almost every performance at the Waterfront has sold out this season.
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