Dead Man's Cell Phone

Tracee Patterson as Jean easily steals the show in Dead Man's Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl, the current production of Dobama Theater. The play is hysterically funny but also melancholy.

Jean is sitting in a cafe eating lobster bisque. A man comes in and sits with his back to the audience. A few moments pass and his phone begins to ring. Jean, a rather shy woman, first just glances over at him. She becomes more annoyed but politely asks him to answer his phone. After a few more moments pass she walks over to him and discovers that he is dead. She uses his cell phone (is she the only person in the US who doesn't have a cell?) to call 911.

While she is waiting for the ambulance, the phone rings again. She answers it and so begins her role in "fixing" his relationships.

Tracee Patterson's performance is not to be missed. The show runs through November 21. About a quarter of the seating is taken up by the set so sold-out houses will probably be the rule.

I suppose being dead is a legitimate reason for being rude and not answering your phone.