Is He Dead?

by Mark Twain

Feb. 12-16, 2009

Directed by B. Michael Quale

Sponsored by Select Ford Mercury

Mark Twain’s Is He Dead? is a new comedy that was written years ago. This well penned farce shows a side of the classic American author many never knew existed. Many people have never heard of Samuel Longhorn, but it would be difficult to find an American who has never heard of his pen name Mark Twain. His classic works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, are often required readings in schools across the nation. Known for his realistic and simple style, most would be surprised to hear of his foray into comedy. Yet even outside of his comfort zone, Twain’s quality of work remains. He actually penned Is He Dead? to celebrate exiting one of the saddest periods of his life. In 1896 Twain’s daughter Suzy Clemens unexpectedly died while Twain was abroad trying to raise money to pay debts accrued from bad investments. After struggling for some time, Twain was informed he was finally debt free. He was inspired to write a comedy.

The script seemed to be a success. Bram Stoker, the well known author of Dracula, wanted to produce Twain’s play. However, unexpectedly the sets and costumes were destroyed in an accidental warehouse fire. Twain filed the script safely away, where it remained until 2002 when an English professor rescued it from a file cabinet at the University of California, Berkeley. The script was then edited, tightened, and revised to bring it up to date. Is He Dead? made its Broadway debut December 9, 2007 at the Lyceum Theatre and received great critical acclaim.

Is He Dead? centers around Jean Francois Millet, a French painter best known for his painting of a hardworking couple in a field titled The Angelus. However, this show is not a biography. In real life Millet was a somewhat successful artist who was married with children. Yet in the play, Millet is a struggling artist who has accrued a substantial amount of debt. He tries desperately to rid himself of his financial burdens, in order to prove himself worthy of the woman he would like to marry. Down to his last dime Millet reaches the last straw decides to fake his death with the help of his friends, a group of starving artists. They believe once it is announced Millet is dead the value of his paintings will increase, as artists historically do not experience great success until after they have passed on. Millet then returns as his non-existent “twin sister, “causing the story to spin out of control, with hilarious cross-dressing antics, romantic beguilement, and mistaken identities that are sure tickle your funny bone. Twain himself said it best in Mark Twain – A Biography, “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”

Cast:

Agamemnon Buckner…………………John Breslin

Hans Von Bismarck…………………Steve Christensen

Marie Leroux…………………Steph Richter

Cecile Leroux…………………LeeAnn Clark

Papa Leroux…………………Ted Lindseth

Jean-Francois Millet/Widow Daisy Tillou…………………JC LaBar

Bastien Andre…………………Dave Richter

Madame Bathilde…………………Darcy Klasna

Madame Caron…………………Kayla Stamp

Phelim O'Shaughnessy…………………DaeMynn Stevens

Basil Thorpe…………………Eric Pozgay

Claude Riviere…………………Eric Pozgay

Charlie…………………Eric Pozgay

The King of France…………………B. Michael Quale

The Sultan of Turkey…………………Dan Crisham

The Emperor of Russia…………………Gordon Anderson