Theatre Is Dead and So Are You
A troupe of seasoned has-beens kill theatre, live before your very eyes, in this joyful, morbid, irreverent funeral for the stage.
David Berent. Photos by Carrie Leonard.
A ragtag bunch of variety hacks are laying their sometimes beloved MC to rest, performing his funeral live, travelling from city to city, until such time as his body is too decomposed to make the proceedings pleasant. Their “eulogies” are performed à la classic variety, with slapstick, melodrama, song & dance, feats of illusion and mentalism, and even a soliloquy or two, each taking its own deadly turn as they celebrate the life and death of their dearly departed dead dead dead friend. Even in their joyous performance, a specter looms as each knows they’ve all been exposed to the fatal disease that killed their MC: Life.
Tommy Dickie and Liza Wade Green
“[M]ore than irreverent. It ruthlessly and riotously dispenses with notions of respect for the deceased... While proclaiming theatre dead, the show’s sharp, thoughtful writing, high-impact direction, and skillful performances justify its preservation.” -Ronnie Reich, Backstage (Critic’s Pick)
“Kiran Rikhye’s raucous spectacle is a pastiche of dead and dying theatrical forms…performed by young, vital, and warm bodies, happily proving its title wrong.” -Joshua David Stein, New York Press
“[E]ndearingly eclectic” -Rob Weinert-Kendt, The Village Voice
“A satire full of energy and irreverence…Imaginative text” -Mario Fratti, America Oggi
David Berent and Tommy Dickie
Alexia Vernon. Sets & Lighting by David Bengali. Costumes by Julie B. Schworm. Makeup by Cat*. Trick coffin by Daniel Green. Banner photo: David Skeist, Rainbow Dickerson, Liza Wade Green, David Berent,Tommy Dickie, David Bengali, Noah Schulz, and Alexia Vernon