(CRANFORD, NJ) -- Bernie Wagenblast talks with playwright Mike Burdick on an episode of the Cranford Radio podcast. His creation, Mike Burdick’s Stages of Madness, will be at Cranford Dramatic Club (CDC Theatre) for performances June 15-17, 2023.

The last production put on at the Cranford Dramatic Club was the popular In the Heights. This show, which will have a much different feel, is a two-act production.  The first show is Mercy Killing, described as a dark comedy. The second act is Rock, Paper, Scissors and a Simple Twisted Fate, a comedy farce.

Click here for the podcast.

Mike Burdick

Note: The tone of this production stretches from dark comedy to absolutely absurd. May not be suitable for all audiences.

Mercy Killing - This dark comedy tells the tale of a successful contract killer leading a double life who must come to terms with her actions through an excruciating interaction with her dysfunctional family. The cast includes Jill Mesonas (GIRL), Hannah Federman (OTHER), Leslie Williams Ellis (MOM), and Jim Walsh (GUY).

Rock, Paper, Scissors and a Simple Twisted Fate - In this deliciously absurd comedy, a man sentenced to death for making a negative comment on the internet attempts to escape his fate and ends up suffering a demented and hilarious journey through a reimagining of Dante’s Inferno. The cast includes Sean E. Lough (TEMPLETON), Debra Lynch (MISS BLACK/CAT), Joe Leo (BARNABY THE A.T.D./GREEN FOX/DISGRUNTLED STAGEHAND), and Sean Kelly (BUCK/DOG/THE GREAT PENGUIN).

Tickets to the CDC Theatre production are available for purchase online. CDC Theatre is located at 78 Winans Avenue in Cranford, New Jersey.