Dead Man's Cell Phone

One of Stanislavski’s great lessons was to play what is known as the ‘magic if’ game, where people try to come up with scenarios of what would happen if certain things occurred. Dead Man’s Cell Phone, receiving its UK premiere at The Arches, has a pretty terrific ‘what if’.

Good-hearted Jean is sitting in a café trying to enjoy a peaceful lunch, but is interrupted by a persistent phone ring. She tries to get the owner of the phone to answer it but is ignored.

Frustrated, she answers it, takes a message and tries to relay it … only to discover that the phone’s owner is in fact dead. Becoming somewhat attached to the phone and feeling responsible for its care, Jean holds on to it, first taking messages then finding herself involved in the decease’s life.

Half the fun of the play is seeing where writer Sarah Ruhl is willing to take the action. Credit should be given for the fact that the play takes some rather dramatic twists while maintaining a whimsical spirit and that the hero, no matter what happens, remains consistently likeable. The play does ramble on a bit and the ending is drawn out, but overall it has a good heart.

Director Stasi Schaeffer has managed to create an engaging production that is mostly good fun. The pacing is a bit off and scene shifts sometimes feel like an eternity, but for the most part the action is crisp and Schaeffer draws some engaging performances from an ensemble that are more than game for the shenanigans.

But the success of the production hinges on actor Susan Worfold’s excellent performance as Jean. She plays the character as a bright-eyed innocent caught up on the adventure of a lifetime. She just wants to do good, make people happy and give peace to a man she hadn’t known when alive. Hers is an excellent performance full of charm that is more than worth the admission.