F. J. Hartland

What would your cell phone tell a stranger about you?

When the gentleman next to her in a café doesn’t answer his cell phone, Jean does it—only to make the horrifying discovery that the gentleman is dead.  She keeps his cell phone, though, and it sends her into a journey into the life of the deceased.

It’s Dead Man Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, the premiere production of the newly formed Organic Theater.

It’s a fantastic premise for a play.  And I’ll admit that playwright Ruhl did hold my interest through Act One.  But Act Two spirals into a total mess, leaving me disappointed and unsatisfied.

To the credit of the Organic Theater, they give the script a top-notch production.

Jamie Slavinsky portrays Jean beautifully—capturing all the nuances of a shy, lonely woman caught in a situation that overwhelms her.  Slavinsky makes a complete physical transformation, looking like America Ferrara of television’s Ugly Betty.

As the Dwight, the deceased brother, Adam Kukic makes a welcomed return to the stage.  His Dwight is simultaneously sweet and creepy.  Kukik embodied a lost, little puppy—but you’re never quite sure if the dog is going to lick your hand or bite it.

Also making a return to the stage after a long absence is Deborah Wein as the deceased man’s mother.  Wein brings great comic relief to Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and the eulogy she delivers for her late son is hilarious!

Director Ricardo Vila-Roger (and scenic designer Jamie Slavinsky) have beautifully show-horned this production into the spare space of the ModernFormations Gallery and Performance Space.  The set pieces are simple but well-enhanced by the use of projections.  The use of Edward Hopper paintings to reflect the isolation of the characters was a stroke of genius. 

On the down-side, Act Two tends to drag and could probably be 5-10 minutes shorter.

It’s a promising start for this new theatre company.  I just wish they had chosen a better play.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone continues through July 31.