Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying the impact that reality television has made on the social and cultural landscape. We’ve seen strangers get married, models devour slimy bugs, fat gay guys get naked on an island, and even Ozzy Osbourne cleaning up dog crap. What’s next for the ambitious producer? Find some patsy to put on TV and let viewers vote on a way to kill him? Hmm…
That not-so-outrageous idea is the premise of The Dead Guy, running at Stages Repertory Theatre. Written by Eric Coble, the satire of reality TV and our seemingly insatiable appetite for it also incorporates a live video feed, prerecorded videos and commercials and even its own theme song, making it a truly multimedia affair. Audiences will experience both the “play” and the “show” at the same time. Here’s hoping Paris Hilton’s in the cast.
Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: April 5. Continues through April 23
This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2006.
