‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’—

That Man With The Phone Is Out Of Minutes

By Julie Stern

HARTFORD — If you’ve ever felt bothered by the intrusiveness of other people’s cell phones in public places – if you’ve been annoyed by having to listen to the intimate conversations of strangers in restaurants, theaters, trains and so forth – then you are ripe for the strange new comedy Dead Man’s Cell Phone.

When the stranger sitting alone at the next table in an otherwise empty café persists in ignoring his ringing phone, the heroine, Jean, can’t bear it any longer. Unable to get his attention, she finally goes over to insist that he answer it, only to discover that he is dead.

With this odd situation, the plot begins in Sarah Ruhl’s work, which is the current production for TheatreWorks Hartford.

Jean answers his phone, and tells the caller that “Gordon” is currently unavailable. If the person leaves a number, perhaps he will call back. With each incoming call, she inserts herself a little further into Gordon’s life, pretending to have known him, and becoming irretrievably involved with his mother, his brother, his widow and his mistress.

Being a soft-hearted romantic, Jean wants to imagine a warm, kind persona for Gordon, and she lies to the others, telling them each what she feels they would like to hear. She gives them gifts that Gordon meant them to have. She tells them of his last loving messages to each of them.

In the face of their clear disbelief, she assures them of his devotion. Spinning more invented stories, she explains that she knew Gordon from work, that they were colleagues.

“Were you in Incoming or Outgoing?” they ask, suspiciously.

“Incoming” she replies.

“Oh my God! Really?”

Of course neither Jean nor the audience has any clue what Gordon did, or what these terms mean. Discovering that mystery is part of the wacky sequence of plot twists that keep the audience in startled giggle fits.

As Jean gets herself in deeper and deeper, she travels around the world, up to a sphere that is not exactly Heaven (where she gets to meet Gordon) and back home again, wiser, but not sadder.

The play is helped by an excellent cast, especially Finnerty Steeves as Jean, and Anne-Lynn Kettles as Gordon’s insufferable mother Mrs Gottlieb. Joey Parsons is sleekly glamorous as Gordon’s mistress; Lee Heinz is his long suffering (and very drunk) widow, and Mark Shanahan provides a romantic spark as Dwight, the younger brother whom their mother never cared for.

Earlier this season Sarah Ruhl had her work Passion Play staged at Yale Rep. That was a more complex and serious and generally amazing piece of theater. By contrast, Dead Man’s Cell Phone is an inventive piece of fluff that keeps you laughing while you watch, and then you don’t really have to think about it any more.

If you’re in the mood for escapist entertainment, this one is pretty good.

(Performances continue until March 15. See the Enjoy Calendar page for details.)