~by Dena Burroughs

Max Leavitt and Karen Jean Olds

"Dead, Therefore I Am" - Theater Review

“Be careful of what you wish for” comes to mind upon seeing the play Dead Therefore I Am now at the East Theatre, in Hollywood.  Written and directed by Max Levitt, who is best known as the bandleader for NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly,” the play shows the psychological struggles of J.T. Blackwell (performed by Levitt) as he hears a voice that keeps him constantly thinking of suicide.  Nicholas Tucci, playing Anubis, is the ancient Egyptian half man-half jackal god who tortures and keeps Blackwell’s mind in turmoil and personifies the voice.  Karen Jean Olds plays Sophie, the goth-punk girl next door in love with Blackwell, consistently keeping watch over him and interrupting his attempts to end his life.

From a “bathtub” scene (which requires the cooperation of the audience’s imagination as it is really a plastic pool, and for which Levitt completely strips), or an attempt to shoot himself and the building of a guillotine, Blackwell’s failed suicides become subjects for black humor thanks to Nicholas Vitulli, playing an ineffective doctor whose therapy consists of offering his patient anti-depressants and alcohol.

In a moment of clarity Blackwell finds the strength to make Anubis stop.  Just when it seems as if the 30-year-old might be able to assume normality and stop living in his parent’s garage, an ironic twist finally gives him what he had desired for so long – death.

Despite the humor, "Dead Therefore I Am leaves" the audience stunned, and as the material lingers in the mind, it provokes consideration and empathy for those plagued with a mental disorder. The East Theatre is a small venue of about 60 seats located in theater row.  "Dead Therefore I Am" will run until May 24.  

East Theatre at The Complex
6476 Santa Monica Blvd,
Hollywood, CA
323.960.7714
Plays411.com
www.complexhollywood.com
$20 Fri Sat 8 pm/ Sun 3 pm