American playwright Sarah Ruhl’s “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” now playing as the current MadKap Production at the Skokie Theatre is really about living. An exploration of love, death, and the inescapable impact of technology, the play opens with the main character Jean, sitting at a café minding her own business. She notices another diner whose cell phone keeps ringing without picking it up to be rather annoying. Then she notices why. The man, Gordon, is deceased. She holds on to Gordon’s cell phone, answering it and propels herself into his crazy, mixed-up life, fabricating lies to help comfort his bereaved family. Interestingly, the cell phone in said play is a flip phone, which seems to date the play before the use of text messaging. How more complex the scenes could have been with text messaging added to the mix!
Lead by Heidi Hansfield as Jean, the stellar cast rises to the task. She balances between being a good Samaritan and someone who is a little bit lost herself with innocence and charm. You watch her transform by the actions in this play from a little-miss lonely hearts to someone who is capable of being in a loving relationship. Fortunately, the dead man, played by Peter Goldsmith, does come back to life in Act 2 so we get to hear the whole scenario from his perspective. As someone with a rather dubious career, you do feel his pain when his life ends so abruptly. The play also stars Ann James as his mother, Mrs. Gotlieb, who must navigate a range of emotions, SarahAnn Sutter as his put-upon wife, Hermia, Elise Blanchard as his mistress/the other woman, and Denis Vorobyev as his brother, Dwight. His performance as the man who changes Jean’s life for the better is meaningful and heartfelt.
The show is directed by Wayne Mell, founding partner of MadKap Productions and produced by Wendy Kaplan, co-founder of the theatre company.
Kudos to Wendy Kaplan who also serves as Costume Director for the striking red costumes that gives pause to the possibilities of hell. The play will leave you with much food for thought about how technology controls our lives.
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone” played at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2008 and 2021.
The show is playing now through April 19 at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Downtown Skokie. This play marks the last show of the 10th anniversary season. Next season, which starts in July features, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Pippin,” “Deathtrap,” “Company,” and a “Streetcar Named Desire.”
For tickets, go to SkokieTheatre.org or by calling 847-677-7761. All photos by Laine Rogers.
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