Let’s Talk About Your Death
Venue 3 Nordic Studio Theatre
4 Stars
Death is a topic most of us avoid. Who wants to ponder the end? It’s simply too morbid. However, Let’s Talk About Your Death is anything but morbid.
In this one-hour solo show, David Johnston plays both Dr. Elliott Morris and his floor manager Barry. Morris is a talk-show host who happily discusses death. It’s how he earns a living. Mostly, Morris is a huckster and shameless self-promoter who uses every opportunity to sell his books and podcasts.
On this day, he is taping a talk show and invites audience members to put their hands in a box that will reveal with astounding accuracy their manner of death. During the first half of the talk-show's guest interviews, Morris is the quintessential host - witty and articulate, yet slightly condescending.
At first the talk-show taping runs smoothly. However, the second half goes horribly wrong when a telephone caller tells a shocking story that strips away the host’s plastic veneer. Johnston also plays a secondary character, Barry, a sarcastic floor manager who preps the audience and stoically fixes Morris’ fumbles.
The show is fast-paced and Johnston switches hats between his two characters in a virtuosic performance. Let’s Talk About Your Death is a high-energy show that packs a punch. At times hilarious, at times tearful, it’s ultimately an emotional roller-coaster where the living end up facing the consequences of their actions.
– Anna Borowiecki
