Ohio State University Theatre production of Sarah Ruhl's magical realism comedy about a dead man's ringing cell phone that leads a woman into the afterlife.
Dead Man's Cell Phone opens at the Blackbox Theatre on Wednesday, October 28, and runs through November 6. It's a comedy by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Beth Kattelman and produced by the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at The Ohio State University as part of the Columbus Theatre Festival.
The story follows Jean, whose life takes a strange turn when she finds a cell phone left on a café table. It won't stop ringing, and answering it sends her on a surreal journey into the afterlife, where she meets the dead man's family, his mistress, and eventually the man himself. Ruhl works in magical realism, so the phone becomes a kind of portal that pushes Jean past the boundaries of the living world. Along the way, the play asks how technology both connects and isolates us—a question that feels pretty current, even when the plot is this far-out.
If you're not familiar with Ruhl, she's a MacArthur Fellow and one of the most widely produced playwrights in the U.S. OSU has a history with her work: the department has staged Orlando, In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play), and Eurydice in previous seasons, so this is another Ruhl title for the university's record.
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Practical details: the Blackbox Theatre is at 1932 College Road in Columbus. The run goes from October 28 to November 6, so you've got a few weeks to catch a performance. A couple of things to keep in mind before you head over: there are no paper programs distributed, and there's no late seating or reentry once the show starts, so you'll want to be in your seat before the curtain goes up.
Date
28 October – 6 November
19:30
Recommended Age
+14 years
