By Gary Wien
originally published: 08/20/2015
In an almost empty cafe, a woman sits, drinking coffee, and writing a thank you letter. Next to her is a dead man. When his phone won’t stop ringing, the woman decides to answer it and take a message. In doing so, her quiet life is turned upside-down as she’s thrust into a world of mysterious strangers, shady business deals, and the potential for true love. This is the story of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a play by Sarah Ruhl that will be presented by Cape May Stage this September.
The play is a tale about memory, redemption, and the connection and disconnection that takes place in our technology obsessed world. By holding on to the dead guy’s cellphone, the woman keeps the man alive in a strange yet significant way. She also winds up getting involved with his whole family’s life, including a romance with the dead guy’s brother.
“What I found so extraordinary about the play was that some of the lines sound like a New Yorker cartoon,” explained Roy Steinberg who is directing the production. “They’re hilarious and, at the same time, very poignant.”
Cape May Stage’s cast includes Abby Royle as Jean, Sheffield Chastain as Gordon/Dwight (i.e. the dead guy and his remarkably similar looking brother), Jennifer Terrell (Hermia/Other Woman/Stranger), and Marlena Lustik as Mrs. Gottleib. The ensemble includes Denzel Hawker and Iraissa Ann Reilly.
Dead Man’s Cell Phone has been described as everything from an oddball comedy to a surreal work to a satire of modern technology.
“That’s what I loved about it,” said Steinberg. “It is an oddball comedy, but, at the same time, it’s so contemporary. I have friends who tell me their boyfriends broke up with them by texting on their phones rather than doing it in person. The play is about our life in the 21st century. It is a fascinating study of where we are and where we are going.”
The play was originally commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, who produced the New York premiere Off-Broadway in 2008. Two years earlier, the play made its debut in Washington, D.C., with a production by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Since that time, cell phones have become an even more integral part of our lives. They have the unique ability to unite people and isolate people. The concept of phone calls even after one’s death is like a metaphor for how much the technology is ingrained with us now. For Steinberg, the challenge is to create an atmosphere and a tone that works in unison.
“My intent is to create an atmosphere where the actors are all in the same world with a very specific style that’s stark,” explained Steinberg. “The writer talks about Edward Hopper paintings, the light, people that are alone, and the alienation that goes on. That’s part of what we’re working on.”
Steinberg raves about Sheffield Chastain who has the challenge of remaining still for the first act. In movies, pretending to be dead is easy due to multiple takes. On stage, there is only one take, so a strong level of concentration is paramount. Chastain was recently seen in The Guardsman at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Many of Sarah Ruhl’s plays have been critically praised and received major awards. The list includes In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee for Best New Play), The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize Finalist, 2005; The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); Passion Play, a cycle (Pen American award, The Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center). Her most recent plays are Stage Kiss and Dear Elizabeth.
The entire season at Cape May Stage has featured the work of female playwrights. Previous productions include Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit Of Molly Ivins by Margeret & Alison Engle; Mary, Mary by Jean Kerr; and The Search For Signs Of Intelligent Life In The Universe by Jane Wagner. Upcoming plays this season include Trying by Joanna McCllelland Glass (October 14-November 15) and A Cape May Christmas by Marlena Lustik (November 27 - January 2).
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
EVENT PREVIEWS
Theater League of Clifton presents "1776" in November
(WAYNE, NJ) -- Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of opinionated, stubborn and deeply divided delegates gathered in Philadelphia and somehow managed to create a new nation. This November, the Theater League of Clifton brings their story to the stage with 1776, the Tony Award-winning musical about the tumultuous days leading to the Declaration of Independence. Directed by Maren Sugarman, the production will be presented November 13–15, 2026, at the Wayne Community Center.
Lomotion Live presents "Etiquette" by David Lee White
(BOONTON, NJ) -- Lomotion Live presents Etiquette, a timely and biting comedy by playwright David Lee White, directed by Lauren Moran. The production will run November 13–15, 2026 at Lomotion Live at Parsippany Arts Center in Boonton.
NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window"
(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- What happens when we look through a window? Do we see the world as it really is, the world as we wish it could be, or something we never expected? New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) invites audiences to discover the unexpected with NJ Rep presents Theatre Brut Short Play Festival 2026: "Through The Window" a festival of eight original short plays presented over two weekends, November 13–15 and November 20–22, 2026 at the West End Arts Center in Long Branch.
Bridge Players Theatre Company presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical"
(BURLINGTON, NJ) -- Bridge Players Theatre Company presents The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical weekends from November 13-28, 2026. In this musical adaptation of the funny and touching holiday classic, The Herdmans – widely known as the "worst kids in the history of the world" – crash Sunday School lured by the promise of free snacks and end up hijacking the annual church Christmas pageant!
For the Whim Productions presents William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
(BRIDGETON, NJ) -- For the Whim Productions presents William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream from November 13-20, 2026 at the Ashley McCormick Theatre in the Hopeloft in Bridgeton. A whimsical comedy where fairies, lovers, actors, and our audience collide in an enchanted forest, blending magic, romance, and mischief. The production is directed by Heidi Dugan.
The Maplewood Strollers presents "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
(MAPLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Maplewood Strollers present Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street weekends from November 13-22, 2026. Attend the dark, witty and Tony Award-winning tale of love, murder and revenge set against the backdrop of 19th century London.
Readington Community Theatre presents "Anatomy of a Murder"
(WHITEHOUSE STATION, NJ) -- Readington Community Theatre presents Anatomy of a Murder by Elihu Winer across two weekends from November 13-22, 2026 at Rockaway Reformed Church. In a quiet town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a small-time lawyer is pulled into a sensational case that quickly grips the entire community.
The Barn Theatre presents Roald Dahl's "Matilda, the Musical"
(MONTVILLE, NJ) -- The Barn Theatre presents Roald Dahl's Matilda, the Musical weekends from November 13 to December 5, 2026. The story of an extraordinary girl who dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.
Villagers Theatre presents "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot"
(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in The Andrew Russoniello Black Box weekends from November 13-21, 2026. Set in a time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell, the play reexamines the plight and fate of the New Testament’s most infamous and unexplained sinner.
Holmdel Theatre Company presents "Love, Loss, and What I Wore"
(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Holmdel Theatre Company presents Love, Loss, and What I Wore from November 13-15, 2026. Told through a series of personal stories and monologues, Love, Loss, and What I Wore reveals how the clothes we wear often become intertwined with who we are and the moments we never forget. The show celebrates the humor and heartbreak of everyday life, reminding audiences that while fashion trends may come and go, the experiences that connect us are timeless.
