(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Have you ever been tempted just to turn your cell phone off and leave it that way? Have you been annoyed by the ringing phones of strangers? Have you ever wondered if all those voice mails and text messages that you delete really stay deleted, and if not, where they go? If any of these things ring a bell, you'll want to see Dead Man's Cell Phone at Cape May Stage.

 

Four veteran actors, who've appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and on television, will bring to life Sarah Ruhl's award-winning comedy, Dead Man's Cell Phone, at Cape May Stage from September 10 through October 9. The play, which was nominated for seven Helen Hayes awards when it premiered in Washington, D.C., will be directed by Roy Steinberg, Cape May Stage's artistic director.

 

"It's a very funny play, in a really off-center, quirky kind of way," says Steinberg. "But it's also a beautiful, poetic fantasy about the role of technology in our lives today. Many of the characters will not only make you laugh, but they may change the way you think."

 

In Dead Man's Cell Phone, Jean, a young woman sitting in a café, answers the incessantly ringing phone of a fellow café patron, Gordon, nearby - who, it turns out, has quietly passed away. Jean holds onto the device, answering it when Gordon's friends, family, and business acquaintances call, and as a result her life is turned upside-down and she's thrust into a world of mysterious strangers, shady business deals, a dysfunctional family, and the potential for true love.

 

Playing Jean is Abby Royle, last seen at Cape May Stage as Sister James in Doubt. She's appeared Off-Broadway in New York in Acts of Love and No Foreigners Beyond This Point, and she's had roles on Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. She's also a regular on the comedy improv circuit in New York.

 

Gordon will be played by Sheffield Chastain, who's performed on Broadway in White Christmas and The 39 Steps and many other Off-Broadway and regional theater productions, along with appearances on television in Boardwalk Empire, 30 Rock, and Law and Order. Chastain also plays Gordon's lookalike brother, Dwight.

 

Rounding out the cast is Marlena Lustik (Mrs. Gottleib), who last appeared at Cape May Stage as Silda in Other Desert Cities and whose Broadway experience includes roles in Pousse Café, Days in the Trees, and in Foxy with the late Bert Lahr, plus an acclaimed performance Off-Broadway in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Jennifer R. Terrell (Gordon's Widow/The Other Woman/Stranger), a veteran of numerous regional theater productions, including Macbeth, Blithe Spirit, and The Miracle Worker; Iraisa Ann Reilly (Ensemble) who began her career as an intern at Cape May Stage and played the roll of Edith in Blithe Spirit and Denzel Hawker (Ensemble), a New York City native making his Cape May Stage debut.

 

"This is the fourth play in a season in which we're proud to say that every play we're doing will have been created by a woman playwright," says Steinberg. "In this case, the poetry and language in Dead Man's Cell Phone, through Sarah Ruhl's wonderful voice, is something that I really wanted to share with audiences in Cape May." Steinberg adds that the play's deceptive simplicity and often light-hearted and comedic interchanges mask a number of deeper, hidden meanings. "I'm looking forward to see how audiences react, how they interpret the play after the surprising final act," says Steinberg. "It's the kind of play that will leave people talking and continue to discuss later."

 

Dead Man's Cell Phone runs from September 10 through October 9, with a half-price preview on September 9. There'll be a post-show discussion with cast and crew on September 25, which is open to everyone, and a half-price senior matinee on Sunday, September 20. There is also a pay-what-you-wish performance on Friday, September 18. Ticket prices range from $18 for students/military to $33 for seniors and $38 for adults. Opening night tickets - which include an after-party with the cast - are $53. Tickets are available through capemaystage.org or by calling (609) 770-8311.