'Fences' and 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' at the LB Playhouse

Fences

August Wilson’s Fences, a play that examines the effects of one man’s regrets and resentment on his family. It is part of Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle” which observes the African American experience across several decades.

“When we chose this play, we knew it would need the right director to do it justice,” said Playhouse Executive Director, Madison Mooney. “Fences is about family, about the things they do to one another, for good and for bad. It that respect, it’s similar to Death of a Salesman, which we produced last season. Carl DaSilva directed that show, and we knew Carl was the right director for Fences.”

The play works as an ensemble with each character revealing key aspects and events that form the difficult history of the Maxson family. Each cast member comes to the show with training and experience that serves the story well. Of the seven actors only Rayshawn Chism is a return performer, audiences may remember for his portrayal of Bobo in A Raisin in the Sun last season. Making their debuts are: Damon Rutledge, Teri Gamble, Jermaine Alexander, Darnell Trujeque, Brandon Rachal and Katie Grace McClung.

The Playhouse team prides itself on attention to detail in sets, lighting, sound and costumes. This show is no exception.

“Theatre can be magic. It can be transformative,” said Sean Gray, Playhouse Artistic Director. “It’s a hundred, maybe a thousand, moving parts and when it works, there’s nothing like it. Our actors are outstanding, even the youngest, Katie Grace, has a wonderful presence on the stage.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone

An incessantly ringing cell phone disturbs a woman sitting at a café table. She is furious at the owner for not picking up the call, until she discovers he’s dead. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new dramatic comedy written by Sarah Ruhl.

“Sarah Ruhl is one of my favorite contemporary playwrights,” said Madison Mooney, Playhouse Executive Director. “She’s an astute observer of humanity with a knack for uncovering what’s just beneath the surface in situations, and then making it hilarious.

“One reviewer described her plays as ‘buoyantly surreal stories moored by cosmically serious themes.’ In Dead Man’s Cell Phone the lead character, Jean, confronts her assumptions about death, morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.”

The show’s story is perfect for the upstairs theatre both for its traditional proscenium stage and its audience’s affection for less traditional fare. In 2014, another play by Ruhl, In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play was a hit with the Studio Theatre’s audience. It sold out nearly all its performances.

Dead Man’s Cell Phone opens on June 10 and runs through July 8. It contains adult language and content.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.