by Sarah Ruhl
Jobsite Theater
Shimberg Playhouse
June 10th, 2010
Tampa, FL
"Isn't it funny? You hear a phone ring, and it could be anybody...but a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it?" - Kiefer Sutherland, Phone Booth
With the strong writing prowess of Sarah Ruhl, bringing these rich characters to life is not the tallest of tasks. Meg Heimstead begins and ends our show as the everything to everyone linchpin. Fabricating stories to aid the gravity of the situation, Heimstead's character always seems to conjure the right anecdote to defuse the conversation. I found Heimstead's performance of Jean to really keep the story together. Great job. Steve Garland's monologue to open the second act completely set the play into motion. Garland's likable, easy to follow delivery answered all of my questions of the first act and brought the whirlwind of information together. Michael C. McGreevy, Elizabeth Fendrick and Katrina Stevenson all gave adequate performances as members of Gordon's family. Although brief, I really enjoyed Summer Bohnenkamp-Jenkins' portrayal of the Mystery Woman. When Jean meets the Mystery Woman in a chance encounter, Bohnenkamp-Jenkins' character stays true to her name and adds intrigue and guile to the already interesting story. I found the majority of the cast to be very vanilla ice cream, except for the portrayal of the Mystery Woman. Well done ma'am.
I thought Jobsite Theater's production of Dead Man's Cell Phone was brought to life with fantastic production value and artistic execution. There were a few times where I felt the loving exchange between Jean and Dwight was a little cheesy with a side of cheese. But I guess with a story that delves into death and black market trading, a little lighthearted cheesiness is in order. I found the second scene where Gordon's mother gives a eulogy very engaging and made me feel like I was part of the congregation of the funeral. It was well staged and superbly performed. Lastly, with as much sound and technical demand as a show where a cell phone rings every few minutes, kudos to the production team for pulling off a seamless transition from sound over the public address to dialogue.
All in all, I found the production of Dead Man's Cell Phone to be a wonderful night at the theatre. The name alone festers certain ideas of what the show may be. After learning about Gordon's day job and watching Jean get in too deep, I couldn't wait to see how it all ended up. There were a few moments I really wish weren't as cheesy as they turned out, but I enjoyed the show nonetheless. Plays written by Sarah Ruhl always carry themes of existentialism and death over the cloud of clever dialogue and Jobsite's cast didn't disappoint. Bravo.
Music of the Post - radiohead
Dead Man's Cell Phone follows what happens when a well to do good samaritan answers the ringing phone of someone who's passed on. Meeting in a non-descript diner, Jean sees to keep Gordon's memory alive by taking his calls. Breaking the news of Gordon's passing to many of his colleagues and family members, Jean meets a cavalcade of characters that leads her from family dinners, dates in a stationery store all the way to South America. As Jean answers the phone to keep Gordon's memory alive, her encounters with his family, friends and business associates raise questions of his past and help shape the course for the rest of Jean's life.
With the strong writing prowess of Sarah Ruhl, bringing these rich characters to life is not the tallest of tasks. Meg Heimstead begins and ends our show as the everything to everyone linchpin. Fabricating stories to aid the gravity of the situation, Heimstead's character always seems to conjure the right anecdote to defuse the conversation. I found Heimstead's performance of Jean to really keep the story together. Great job. Steve Garland's monologue to open the second act completely set the play into motion. Garland's likable, easy to follow delivery answered all of my questions of the first act and brought the whirlwind of information together. Michael C. McGreevy, Elizabeth Fendrick and Katrina Stevenson all gave adequate performances as members of Gordon's family. Although brief, I really enjoyed Summer Bohnenkamp-Jenkins' portrayal of the Mystery Woman. When Jean meets the Mystery Woman in a chance encounter, Bohnenkamp-Jenkins' character stays true to her name and adds intrigue and guile to the already interesting story. I found the majority of the cast to be very vanilla ice cream, except for the portrayal of the Mystery Woman. Well done ma'am.
I thought Jobsite Theater's production of Dead Man's Cell Phone was brought to life with fantastic production value and artistic execution. There were a few times where I felt the loving exchange between Jean and Dwight was a little cheesy with a side of cheese. But I guess with a story that delves into death and black market trading, a little lighthearted cheesiness is in order. I found the second scene where Gordon's mother gives a eulogy very engaging and made me feel like I was part of the congregation of the funeral. It was well staged and superbly performed. Lastly, with as much sound and technical demand as a show where a cell phone rings every few minutes, kudos to the production team for pulling off a seamless transition from sound over the public address to dialogue.
All in all, I found the production of Dead Man's Cell Phone to be a wonderful night at the theatre. The name alone festers certain ideas of what the show may be. After learning about Gordon's day job and watching Jean get in too deep, I couldn't wait to see how it all ended up. There were a few moments I really wish weren't as cheesy as they turned out, but I enjoyed the show nonetheless. Plays written by Sarah Ruhl always carry themes of existentialism and death over the cloud of clever dialogue and Jobsite's cast didn't disappoint. Bravo.
Jobsite Theater's production of Dead Man's Cell Phone runs through June 27th. The show has been doing well since opening night and is being held over due to it's great demand. Be sure to get in line sooner rather than later for the show.
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