Crumbling skeletons, slumping and decaying dead bodies, and urns full of ashes aren't supposed to be funny. But then, they also aren't supposed to be on stage, let alone passed around the audience or accompanied by vaudevillian song-and-dance numbers, a laugh track, accordion -- sorry, squeezebox --or kazoo. But how better to present "live dead theatre"?
This production from Stolen Chair Theatre Company is more than irreverent. It ruthlessly and riotously dispenses with notions of respect for the deceased. When one member of a plucky theatre troupe dies, rather than go on without him, the performers go on with him. His casket remains on stage, and cast members hop in periodically, borrow clothes, and lug out his body for his big acts. Though he's no longer the greatest duet partner, no one on stage minds a little dead air. Performing with the slowly decomposing corpse, Theatre Is Dead and So Are You implies, is much like resurrecting monologues by Shakespeare, given that the actors who created the roles are all dead, and the art form is too. But while proclaiming theatre dead, the show's sharp, thoughtful writing, high-impact direction, and skillful performances justify its preservation.
While paying homage to old-fashioned variety shows and great death scenes, cast members address the house at all opportunities, and being in on the jokes is a big part of what makes the show so much fun. Amidst the rolling heads, rounds of Russian roulette, and rousing choruses about mortality, Theatre Is Dead and So Are You brings up the big questions in all sincerity. A ringmaster type asks the audience, "Why are you here? Don't you have lives? Wouldn't you rather see a movie?" Reflections about why one performs and how to cope with death resonate even though only briefly spliced into the comedy. But before anyone ruminates too hard, the band starts up again, and the show goes on.
Presented by Stolen Chair Theatre Company
at the Connelly Theatre, 220 E. Fourth St., NYC.
Jan. 15–31. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m.
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.