October 3, 2008 - October 26, 2008
by Terry Johnson
directed by Scott Yarbrough
World Trade Center - 121 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR 97204
Eleanor is dying to have a baby. Richard is dying to ditch sex therapy. Nick is dying for a straight answer. Lisa is dying of guilt. Brian is dying over a trifle. And worst of all to the members of the Dead Funny Society, Benny Hill has just died. This is the West Coast premiere of a hysterical and heartbreaking comedy that is definitive Third Rail.
Reviews
With a cohesive, collaborative spirit, a sharply honed aesthetic and lots of hard work, Third Rail Rep has quickly become one of Portland’s most critically acclaimed theater companies. Yet another hit is the darkly hilarious Dead Funny, and a move to a nicer, larger downtown digs, solidifies the case for its elite ranking.
The Oregonian
Dead Funny is genuinely funny and at times rather shocking, in a Harry Potter-in-Equus sort of way. The show inhabits an unhappy intersection of slapstick and melodrama, setting costumes and artifice against emotional pain and physical nudity—and in handling the material with sophistication and intelligence, Third Rail once again delivers the high level of entertainment audiences have come to expect.
The Portland Mercury
This is a company that specializes in risk — an all-star lineup that prefers knuckleballs to fastballs and knocks them regularly out of sight…Everything about this show, including the venue, is first-rate. And no one in Portland who loves theater should miss it.
The Oregonian
