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
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
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 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
Saturday, November 14, 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!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
Murder At The Palace
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:00pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJSave the date for an adults-only night out set in the Roaring ’20s, as the Historic Palace Theatre plays host to a Murder Mystery event that’s truly to die for!
EVENT PREVIEWS
The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace
(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace - a roaring 20's murder mystery - on Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. All proceeds benefit the artistic and educational programming of The Growing Stage.
SPQR Stage Co. presents "Pumpin' the Chihuahua"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- SPQR Stage Co. presents Bill Sterritt's "Pumpin' the Chihuahua," an imaginative dark comedy running two weekends from November 14–22, 2026 at studio;space in Somers Point.
Moorestown Theater Company presents "9 to 5, the Musical"
(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Moorestown Theater Company presents 9 to 5, the Musical from November 18-22 at First Methodist Church. Three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world.
Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department presents "The Laramie Project"
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present a student theatre production of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, November 18-20, 2026 at 7:00pm each night. The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
Offbook Productions present "The Women of Congress 1776"
(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- Offbook Productions presents The Women of Congress 1776 on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at the Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Showtime is 6:30pm.
Cape May Stage presents "Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition"
(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Cape May Stage presents Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition from November 18 through December 27, 2026. Directed by Roy Steinberg, it's a merry and musical whodunit!
Paper Mill Playhouse to open season with "Mary Poppins"
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins to open the company's 88th season. Performances begin Wednesday, November 18 ahead of a Sunday, November 22 opening night for a run that continues through Sunday, January 3, 2027. This is a spectacular musical filled with wonder, wit, and unforgettable songs.
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School Theater Arts Department presents "Come From Away"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- In a story about strangers becoming family and tragedy giving way to unexpected hope, one real-life couple's love story has given students at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School a personal connection to the musical they are bringing to the stage.
Centenary Stage Company to Close Out 2026 Fringe Festival with "Unseen"
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company will conclude its 2026 Fringe Festival with Unseen, written and performed by Kimberly Prentice, November 19–22, 2026, in the Kutz Theatre. Blending physical comedy, rapid-fire character changes, and heartfelt storytelling, Unseen takes audiences backstage into the demanding, unpredictable world of Broadway's wardrobe crew, celebrating the people whose essential work often goes unnoticed.
The Road Company presents "Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret"
(WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ) -- The Road Company presents Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret, an original retrospective revue, from November 19 to December 5, 2026 at the Grand Theatre.
