"The Mourners" at Manhattan Repertory Theatre

Last year Pamela Robbins was a finalist in the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival for her play, "When Rodney met the Vikings." Samuel French is a major publisher and representative of plays. And their Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival is the oldest continual festival of its kind in Manhattan.

This year Ms. Robbins is once again being featured Off Off Broadway, this time with Manhattan Repertory Theatre's Summerfest 09 with her one act play "The Mourners" on Wed July 29, Thurs July 30, and Fri July 31 st at 7PM. She will once again be directing.

Since I saw an earlier production of this play I can whole-heartedly recommend it. Ms. Robbins describes "The Mourners" in her podcast with Manhattan Rep's Artistic Director Ken Wolf as a "comedy about people at a funeral." It takes place at the memorial service of a difficult wealthy woman who was never well liked by either her neighbors or most of her family.

Still, a grand niece who recalls her kindly attends, along with several other people including a nosy next door neighbor, her home attendant, a representative of her lawyer, and a stand-in minister. The fun begins when they all become trapped in the memorial room during a seeming power outage. Is it the recently deceased having one last joke at the expense of The Mourners?

Whether it is or not, it's a good opportunity for laughter as we learn more about the recently deceased and The Mourners themselves. Ms. Robbins strikes a wonderful balance between darkness and irreverence.

If you're in New York City during July 29, 30, and 31, get yourselves over to the Manhattan Repertory Theatre at 303 W. 42nd Street at 8th Avenue. The theatre is on the third floor. You can reserve tickets by calling 646-329-6588. They're $20.

Also, check out the Artistic Director's podcast interview with Ms. Robbins. She can describe the play much better than I can. And she gives some insight as to her inspiration for writing the play.

I don't have too much experience with podcasts, but when I clicked the link, iTunes took over. I've evidently given iTunes permission to rule over podcasts on my computer. It may be different for your system, depending on how you've set things up. But since the podcast is free, you should be able to access it at iTunes whether you have an account there are not.

Update---My friend Rosalie Harmon pointed out that this podcast is also on YouTube, which may be easier for some folks to face. Just click here. And it should start right up. Thanks, Rosalie!

I urge you to attend!