A great deal of life emanates from Dead Man’s Cell Phone as FSU/Asolo Conservatory Actors advance mysteries and romance. The death of the constantly ringing phone’s owner causes a stranger, at a cafe table next to him, to pick it up and answer it. What will she make of that connection? Instead of the phone isolating Jean, she becomes involved with the family of the dead man (Christopher Hayhurst’s impressively immoral Gordon). There’s his pseudo-religious Mother, Mrs. Gottlieb, whose contradictory behavior and self-centeredness Bonita Jackson expresses fully and funnily. Jamie Saunders brings out Gordon’s widow Hermia’s obvious aversion to him though she seems suspiciously jealous of Jean. Gordon’s brother Dwight (winningly portrayed by Jacob Sefcak), who always played second fiddle to Gordon, at first gives out unpleasant vibes toward Jean but changes to being most pleasantly. Kaitlyn Weickel makes a provocative Other Woman in Gordon’s love life and doubles as The Stranger in his business life. Jean’s definitely a heroine for caring enough about people to answer Gordon’s cell phone and start the ball rolling on his body being taken away to his funeral. Still, by telling everyone concerned with him of his last favorable words about them, though Jean’s made them up, she’s puts herself in danger for her kindness. Author Sarah Ruhl, known for her magic realism, works enough magic to bring Gordon himself back from beyond life to reveal himself when he was mortal. He was in an immoral life personally and in business, even affecting why he died in that cafe. Director Peter Amster balances beautifully the realistic and the magic, bringing the student actors the benefit of his wide, effective directorial experience. I’m not sure, however, that even all the text and production magic come off as well, due to the diversity casting of a black person (extraordinary though her acting is) as the physical mother of a very white family. Given the student actors available, though, no one could have made a better choice from among them. Jeffrey Weber’s basically abstract background set of triangular forms, some filled in with material that could show colors or be shown through, and all movable for entrances and exits allows for fluid movement. Chris McVicker’s changing lighting makes all the differences, Alex Pinchin’s sound design keeps cell phones ringing. Much about the characters can be gleaned by Sofia Gonzalez’s costumes for them. Student stage hands who move furnishings and props in and out surely and with dispatch are not credited in the program but deserve their final bows. This production is the FSU/Asolo Conservatory’s best of a contemporary play in years.
