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Dead Man's Cell Phone

Presented by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston at The Lyric Stage Company

October 16-November 14, 2009

Avg. Event Rating (3.8 Stars):
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When a man at a cafe table suddenly dies and his cell phone rings,the woman at the next table answers it, dropping her into the labyrinth of his life in this 'beguiling new comedy,' (The New York Times). As she forges new relationships on his behalf with his bereft family members, she discovers his life was a mystery even to those closest to him.

“Ms. Ruhl is the rare young writer with a truly theatrical imagination. She goes her own way, discovering surprising beauty and offbeat humor in unlikely places.” –The New York Times

By Sarah Ruhl, Boston Premiere

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  • Venue Info

    The Lyric Stage Company

    140 Clarendon Street
    Boston, MA 02116

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets: Tickets range from $25-$50

    Info Phone: 617-585-5678

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  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    October 16-November 14, 2009

    Times:
    Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm.
    Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm.
    Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 pm.
    Wednesday, September 9th and Wednesday, September 23rd at 2:00 pm.

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    Currently, additional images/videos have not been submitted for this event.

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "Fabulous show!"
      Review posted by: J.T. from Boston, MA, Nov 03, 2009
      

      For anyone who appreciates quirky theatre that is well performed, this is the show for you. Funny, irreverent and somber, all in one.

      For anyone who appreciates quirky theatre that is well performed, this is the show for you. Funny, irreverent and somber, all in one.

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "Bravo !"
      Review posted by: Hapi Phace from Cambridge, MA USA, Oct 30, 2009
      

      It was great to see a new(er) playwright's work performed very well by very good actors, all of them. It was quite entertaining, intelligent, funny and had a touch of "magical realism," employing... Expand

      It was great to see a new(er) playwright's work performed very well by very good actors, all of them. It was quite entertaining, intelligent, funny and had a touch of "magical realism," employing simple staging to portray metaphysical & cosmological shifts. It sparkled, if that makes sense . . . and proved what I believe: One does not need to reinvent theater or perform post-structuralist acrobatics or deconstruct the classics to attract so-called "new audiences" who don't have the patience for live theater anyway. Producing lesser know (but promising) playwrights, and presenting them well can breath new life into the theater for those who love it & appreciate it. It was a good choice to bring in a guest director & new actors,; the risk paid off with a brilliant performance well crafted in every detail. Bravo to the Boston Lyric Stage Company; though I am new here; I think it is the best theater company in town and I am very happy that I subscribed this season. Collapse

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "The Boston Globe LOVED IT"
      Review posted by: The Boston Globe review from Boston, MA, Oct 22, 2009
      

      Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,’’ now receiving a smart and stylish production at Lyric Stage Company, is billed as a comedy, but the comedy is not of the knee-slapping variety. The... Expand

      Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,’’ now receiving a smart and stylish production at Lyric Stage Company, is billed as a comedy, but the comedy is not of the knee-slapping variety. The playwright has a quirky, John Guare-like sensibility, where the goal is to keep you off-balance by shifting suddenly from humor to utter seriousness, and where awkward silences and pauses give shape to the characters as much as the dialogue does. Collapse

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "SO VERY DISAPPOINTING!"
      Review posted by: sp from boston, ma, Oct 19, 2009
      

      From the acting to the direction and staging, it was a very amateurish production - I felt like I was watching a HS production. The Lyric just always seems to fall short of delivering.

      From the acting to the direction and staging, it was a very amateurish production - I felt like I was watching a HS production. The Lyric just always seems to fall short of delivering.

• Media
  Gallery

  • All Media Gallery

    Currently, additional images/videos have not been submitted for this event.

• Member
  Reviews

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "Fabulous show!"
      Review posted by: J.T. from Boston, MA, Nov 03, 2009
      

      For anyone who appreciates quirky theatre that is well performed, this is the show for you. Funny, irreverent and somber, all in one.

      For anyone who appreciates quirky theatre that is well performed, this is the show for you. Funny, irreverent and somber, all in one.

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "Bravo !"
      Review posted by: Hapi Phace from Cambridge, MA USA, Oct 30, 2009
      

      It was great to see a new(er) playwright's work performed very well by very good actors, all of them. It was quite entertaining, intelligent, funny and had a touch of "magical realism," employing... Expand

      It was great to see a new(er) playwright's work performed very well by very good actors, all of them. It was quite entertaining, intelligent, funny and had a touch of "magical realism," employing simple staging to portray metaphysical & cosmological shifts. It sparkled, if that makes sense . . . and proved what I believe: One does not need to reinvent theater or perform post-structuralist acrobatics or deconstruct the classics to attract so-called "new audiences" who don't have the patience for live theater anyway. Producing lesser know (but promising) playwrights, and presenting them well can breath new life into the theater for those who love it & appreciate it. It was a good choice to bring in a guest director & new actors,; the risk paid off with a brilliant performance well crafted in every detail. Bravo to the Boston Lyric Stage Company; though I am new here; I think it is the best theater company in town and I am very happy that I subscribed this season. Collapse

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "The Boston Globe LOVED IT"
      Review posted by: The Boston Globe review from Boston, MA, Oct 22, 2009
      

      Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,’’ now receiving a smart and stylish production at Lyric Stage Company, is billed as a comedy, but the comedy is not of the knee-slapping variety. The... Expand

      Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,’’ now receiving a smart and stylish production at Lyric Stage Company, is billed as a comedy, but the comedy is not of the knee-slapping variety. The playwright has a quirky, John Guare-like sensibility, where the goal is to keep you off-balance by shifting suddenly from humor to utter seriousness, and where awkward silences and pauses give shape to the characters as much as the dialogue does. Collapse

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      "SO VERY DISAPPOINTING!"
      Review posted by: sp from boston, ma, Oct 19, 2009
      

      From the acting to the direction and staging, it was a very amateurish production - I felt like I was watching a HS production. The Lyric just always seems to fall short of delivering.

      From the acting to the direction and staging, it was a very amateurish production - I felt like I was watching a HS production. The Lyric just always seems to fall short of delivering.

• Media
  Reviews

  • Media Reviews

    • Event Name: Dead Man's Cell Phone
      Article: Of Life's Mysteries and Missed Calls
      The Boston Globe - Oct 20, 2009
      By Don Aucoin

      By this point, to build a play around the centrality of the cellphone in our lives is to do no more than acknowledge the obvious.
      But Sarah Ruhl takes it a meta-step further, suggesting that even in death, those tiny, all-powerful devices - par… Expand

      By this point, to build a play around the centrality of the cellphone in our lives is to do no more than acknowledge the obvious.
      But Sarah Ruhl takes it a meta-step further, suggesting that even in death, those tiny, all-powerful devices - part technological tool, part talisman - will make it possible for our lives to go on without us...
      Collapse