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The True Tragedy of the Mortician

nytheatre.com review by Anthony Pennino
August 15, 2005

Daniel Diamond is a clever playwright—and that is not meant necessarily as a compliment. In The True Tragedy of the Mortician, Diamond has constructed a surreal piece that has its roots in experimental theatre dating back to the end of World War II. What is missing from his work is the essential ingredient in any piece conceived for the stage: true human emotion and passion.Mortician begins with the title character breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience in what amounts to a meta-theatrical discussion of the role of actor, director, playwright, and audience. Though the playwright clearly intends for this framing moment to be revelatory, it will be old hat for anyone who has seen at least one production from the canon of Christopher Durang. It is further troubling that this opening chorus has little to nothing to do with the rest of the play (the Mortician does not return until the final two minutes of the play). Nor does it help that Ryan O’Toole seems miscast for the role of the Mortician.After the opening, the action moves to a restaurant in an alternate reality New York where married couple Alain (Cliff Campbell) and Marjorie (Rebecca Simone Stein) have set up a blind date for their friends Chet (John Paul Skocik) and Sarah (Chloe Cmarada). They are served by Fire (Caroline Taylor), whose questionable gender serves as the basis of an argument among the four. A number of bizarre events occur including the disappearance and appearance of their chairs, a recorded recitation of the daily specials, dance music, and a series of grisly shootings.Many of these events come across as arbitrary and unmotivated; Diamond appears to have a particular goal he wants to achieve, and he will get there regardless of character logic. Further, neither the writer nor director Jason Alan Carvell appears to have devised a coherent set of rules that govern the universe they have created. And the drive to make philosophical points (about the cruelty of love, perhaps?) rather than an emotional life for the work leaves the audience unable to care about the fates of the characters.That said, every now and then there is a turn of phrase, observation, or humorous exchange that comes across as true, raw, human—in short, believable. If the playwright would allow for more such moments, then a stronger play might emerge.Noteworthy in the cast are Campbell and Stein who make the most of their roles of the bickering yuppie couple.