Ruhl's 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' quirky

On a humid summer night in 2007 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C., I saw the premiere of the new play "Dead Man's Cell Phone." Amid the buzz at intermission, I noticed political luminaries such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg intensely discussing this modestly staged show by an unknown playwright.

As it happened, Sarah Ruhl's quirky comedy-drama proved to be a hit in D.C. and New York.

On Friday, "Dead Man's Cell Phone" makes its South Carolina debut at the Village Playhouse starring veteran actress Angela White as Jean, the young woman whose life is changed by the incessant ringing of a cell phone.

"When Sarah Ruhl wrote this play, she may not have realized that she was on the cusp of such advancement of technology that cell phones would become even more integral to people's lives," says White. "I myself have a definite love-hate relationship with my cell phone."

The veteran actress finds her role of Jean, who becomes involved in a dead stranger's life, to be extremely challenging. "Jean is sitting alone eating lunch in a nearly empty restaurant when she becomes annoyed by a cell phone ringing at a table occupied by a lone man," explains White. "As it keeps ringing, she goes over, picks up the phone and sees the man is dead. After calling 911, Jean impulsively keeps the phone and answers his calls.

"Gordon's (the dead man's) mistress calls first," says White. "Then his mother, and others, and it snowballs."

White explains that Gordon's friends and family obviously think Jean knew him well. In her desire to comfort them, Jean makes up some nice things Gordon supposedly said about them.

After meeting his family, she encounters love in a bizarre way.

"I feel Jean doesn't have a lot going on in her life, which causes her curiosity about Gordon," says White. "This leads to her learning about the business of buying human organs from China and many other things in Gordon's life.

"Obviously, this play should cause a lot of discussion!" adds White.

Directed by Keely Enright, "Dead Man's Cell Phone" features Samille Basler, Josh Wilhoit and others.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and various dates through March 20, and 5 p.m. March 14 at 730 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant. Tickets are $20-$25 and $12 for students at curtain time. To purchase, call 856-1579 or visit www.villageplayhouse.com.

'Equus'

In 1990, when the College of Charleston School of the Arts was founded, the first play performed at the new Emmett Robinson Theatre was Peter Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play, "Equus."

The intricate drama featuring a religious subtext and nudity paved the way for subsequent controversial plays such as Richard Greenberg's "Take Me Out," Rebecca Gilman's "Blue Surge" and Tony Kushner's "Angel's in America," to name a few.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary, "Equus" returns Thursday to the Robinson Theatre.

Theater professor Mark Landis, director of the play, says the story of Alan Strang, 17, who blinds six horses, has captivated audiences for 35 years by using the most ancient powers of the theater: the fundamental need to rely on faith in rituals.

"This power of theatrical ritual of the interaction between humans and horses is compelling because it is not an illusion of reality as in film or television," explains Landis.

Spencer Jones, who plays Alan, says, "While I believe Alan is severely disturbed, I don't think he is a monster. He worships horses as God, and when he can't consummate his relationship with a girl because, in his mind, the horses prevent this, he freaks out. Then he realizes what he has done, and it destroys him."

As Dr. Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist attempting to uncover the reason for Alan's horrific act of violence, theater professor Evan Parry notes, "I have tried to understand why my character agrees to treat Alan even though he is nearly paralyzed by doubts that he can help him. Although Dysart tries to identify a chain of events that may have led Alan to this terrible point, he also feels that to make Alan 'normal' may rob him of the real passion that fuels his life, but obviously can be dangerous."

Through psychiatry, we learn that Alan was greatly influenced by his devotedly Christian mother and became obsessed by violence in Christianity. This worried his atheist father, who destroyed a picture of the Crucifixion that Alan had hung at the foot of his bed. Alan replaced the picture with a picture of a horse "with large, staring eyes."

"Equus," for mature audiences, will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and March 1 and 2, and at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Simons Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15 and $10 and may be reserved by calling 953-5604 or at the door.

Dottie Ashley is a freelance writer in Mount Pleasant. Reach her at dottieashley@gmail.com.