American playwright Sarah Ruhl is something of a sensation--she's young and already known for outstanding work such as Eurydice, Passion Play and The Clean House.
Her terrific grasp of language and love of surreal imagery is apparent in Dead Man's Cell Phone, a play that contains some wickedly funny moments, but ironically, left me feeling disconnected by the end.
In an Edward Hopper-esque looking cafe (nicely done in OSF's New Theatre), Jean (Sarah Agnew) picks up the ringing cell phone of a stranger, Gordon (Jeffrey King), who has just died in his chair. Jean feels strangely bonded to Gordon and decides to keep the phone. She even lies to Gordon's surviving family members, writing herself into the backstory of his life.
It's a great hook by Ruhl, because we're all wondering what in the world it was that Gordon did in life. We're even more curious after meeting his mother, Mrs. Gottlieb (Catherine E. Coulson); his wife, Hermia (Terri McMahon); his mistress (Miriam A. Laube); and his brother, Dwight (Brent Hinkley).
All four are brilliantly bizarre in their own way.
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