In this “no-feelings-barred” era, when technology allows us to instantly broadcast our every random stray thought — “I just found the best pumpkin spice latte!” — how dare death put an end to our social networking?
Well . . . maybe it doesn’t have to.
That’s the premise behind “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” a new comedy by Sarah Ruhl that launches Curious Theatre’s 13th season Saturday.
It’s a quirky play in which a lonely woman picks up some stiff’s ringing phone, then unwittingly gets caught up in every aspect of his (past) life. And it’s not giving anything away to point out that the dead man (William Hahn) has a role to play here.
This is a comedy, actor Emily Paton Davies says, that could not have been written 20 years ago — and not only because we didn’t have cell phones.
Twenty years ago, people had very different notions of privacy — as in, we used to have some. We used to have dignity. Some measure of shame. Today, thanks to technology and the proliferation of reality TV, oafs not only blurt out their private feelings in line at the pharmacy, or spew on endlessly about their deepest, darkest feelings on the Internet, they bear the odd presumption that you and I should have some interest in knowing all about it.
Facebook now uses GPS tracking to plot your every move — and transmits that information to all your cyberfriends. And it’s not some Big Brother invasion of your privacy. Facebook is responding to consumer demand for the service, driven mostly by the young.
“I was recently riding the bus, and I was a captive audience to this guy talking on the phone to his friend about how he just lost one of his testicles,” said Davies. “I was thinking, ‘At 8 o’clock in the morning, do I really want to hear this?’ “
There’s no longer a sense of appropriate distance in public space. There used to be phone booths.
Now, said Davies, “Many people don’t really care when or where they talk about these very personal moments in their lives, or who hears it.”
The “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” playwright is one of the most celebrated in the contemporary American theater. Ruhl is unafraid to take audiences into the realm of the fantastic. She’s the author of “The Clean House” and “Eurydice,” which Curious staged last year. That award-winner followed the fated wife of Orpheus into a seriously dense and surreal underworld.
And for those who saw it, and found it to be perhaps too intellectually challenging, director Dee Covington says: Don’t let that intimidate you. While this play is laced with zingers about being overly connected in a modern world, it’s really more of a popcorn-munching thriller. The kind where everything feels a little dangerous and tilted on its axis.
“It’s got that Hitchcock element where you are going about your ordinary, pedestrian thing,” Covington said, “and then all of a sudden, you get sucked into someone else’s life.”
It all begins with this earnest, lonely woman named Jean who makes it her self-appointed mission to serve as the dead man’s secretary — not only comforting friends and family members who call, but defending his reputation. Problem is, dead guy turns out to have been an immoral jerk.
“This is a woman who’s clearly missing something in her life,” said Davies. “She’s not in a relationship, and she probably never has been. And she kind of falls in love with this dead man, so she sees it as her sworn duty to keep him alive through his phone.”
Covington calls it a really fun way for Curious to start a significant season. “It launches us with a lot of buoyancy and comedy and air,” she said.
But you can’t watch it without wondering: What if someone got their hands on your cell phone? What would they learn about you?
Covington and Davies laugh at the question. They live in considerably more ordinary worlds than the colorful characters who populate the play.
“If you were to read my text messages,” said Covington, a new mother — “you would know that I am always scrambling for child care.”
Davies said, “if you saw my cell phone, you would instantly realize how I am so not a techno geek . . . because it’s the size and weight of a paperback book.
“I’m just not as intertwined with my cell phone as many people seem to be.”
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Dead Man’s Cell Phone”
Thriller. Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. Written by Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Dee Covington. Starring Emily Paton Davies, William Hahn, Kathryn Gray, Scott Bellott, C. Kelly Leo and Trina Magness. Through Oct. 16. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. $24-$37. 303-623-0524 or
To see more photos from this production, scroll to the bottom of the page
Watch our interview with C. Kelly Leo
Weekend Best Bet: “Stories on Stage”
You may know Stories on Stage for its “Always on Sunday” series of themed short stories that are read aloud at the Denver Center’s Stage Theatre. But the program has expanded with “Out of the Box,” more daring storytelling forays that are presented on other days and at other venues. On Saturday, “Words and Music” will explore the world of jazz, with stories accompanied by live music at the Denver Civic Theatre. Robert Gossett of “The Closer” TV show will read “Albino Crow” by Chris Abani, and award-winning actor Leonard Barrett (PHAMALy’s “Beauty and the Beast”) will read “Body and Soul” by Wesley Brown. $25. 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-494-0523 or .
Best Bet: Nonesuch’s “My First Time”
Time for some pillow talk(s). Nonesuch, a salon theater in Fort Collins, debuts “My First Time,” Ken Davenport’s provocative new comedy that’s about exactly what the title infers: It’s a theatrical look at that rawest state of the human condition — the first sexual experience. Drawn from more than 40,000 online submissions, the actors tell true stories that are by turns comic, sentimental, erotic, political, galling and heartrending. The audience will provide some of each evening’s stories through the form of a questionnaire. $20, with a dinner package from the Rustic Oven also available. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and 10 p.m. Saturdays at 216 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-224-0444 or
This weekend’s other theater openings
“Aida” Elton John and Tim Rice’s contemporary musical take on the timeless bond between an enslaved Nubian princess and an Egyptian soldier. Through Nov. 20. Carousel Dinner Theatre, 3509 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, 970-225-2555 or
“Arsenic and Old Lace” Enduring comedy about two darling old ladies who have turned their cellar into a cemetery. Through Sept. 25. Longmont Theatre Company, 513 Main St., Longmont, 303-772-5200 or
“Art” Yasmina Reza’s ubiquitous Tony- winning best play about a friendship that’s tested when a man buys a white painting with a hefty price tag. Starring Chris Kendall, Jim Hunt and Josh Hartwell. Through Oct. 24. Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington St., Golden, or 303-935-3044.
“Brilliant Traces” An Alaskan man’s slumber is interrupted when a disheveled and bewildered young woman dressed in full bridal regalia bursts through the door of his remote cabin. Through Oct. 10. Presented by OpenStage at the Nonesuch Theater, 216 Pine St, Fort Collins, 970-221-6730 or
“A Devil Inside” In David Lindsay-Abaire’s black comedy, a mother has waited 14 years to tell her son that his 400-pound dead father was actually murdered, disembodied and thrown into a drainage ditch. Thus begins a comic and twisted journey of obsession and revenge. Through Sept. 26. Presented by Theatre d’ Art in the Osborne Studio Theater at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, 719-357-8321.
“Dracula” Heritage Square Music Hall’s irreverent spin on Bram Stoker’s classic horror story. Through Nov. 14. 18301 W. Colfax Ave., Golden, 303-279-7800 or
“The Economy: the Musical” A troupe of northern Colorado educators-turned-performers take a lighthearted look at today’s economic realities, both in and out of the world of education. Friday and Saturday only. Presented by the Moonlighting Teachers at the Rialto Theater, 228 E. Fourth St., Loveland, 970-962-2120 or
“Horror in Hollywood” In the Adams Mystery Playhouse’s latest family-friendly interactive dinner-theater comedy, you’re an extra on the set of a major movie, where someone turns up dead. Through Nov. 13. 2406 Federal Blvd., 303-455-1848 or
“An Ideal Husband” In Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy, a successful government minister’s well-off wife is threatened when a woman arrives with damning evidence of a past misdeed. Through Sept. 25. Presented by Upstart Crow at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-444-7328 or
“Love, Laughter and Lucci” Family comedy about three generations of an Italian Catholic family, all living under one roof. Through Sept. 25. Arvada Festival Playhouse, 5665 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303- 422-4090 or
“The Second Weekend in September” A drunken encounter between two men, one married with a family, leads to a 20-year romance confined to a single weekend every year. Through Oct. 9. Dangerous Theatre, 2620 W. Second Ave., Unit 1, 720-233-4703 or
“Shout” This 1960s musical revue tracks five women coming of age during those liberating days that made England swing. Songs include “To Sir With Love,” “Downtown,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Goldfinger.” Through Nov. 14. Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue:
