Smart Bets: Death Comes to Play

Photo of props from Death Comes To Play courtesy of Sublime Theater & Press

A natural disaster may delay local theater, but it’s powerless to stop it.

Case in point: Death Comes to Play, the first new theatrical work in seven years from The Sublime Theater producing artistic director Steven Samuels, was slated to debut on Oct. 3 at downtown’s BeBe Theatre. Tropical Storm Helene had other ideas for this comedy about a 75th birthday party that takes place on (appropriately enough) a dark, stormy night.

But with a little encouragement from his friends, Samuels resuscitated the production. “This one — rooted in but very different from an old play and movie called Death Takes a Holiday — came together faster than seemed possible,” Samuels says in a press release. “And then that speed was mocked by the storm-enforced delay. I worried briefly, after, that a play with ‘Death’ in the title, however comic, just might not sit right with Asheville audiences quite yet. But the cast and crew convinced me that a play that’s this much fun is just what we all need most.”

The show runs Thursdays-Saturdays, April 17-May 3, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. avl.mx/eon

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About Edwin Arnaudin
Edwin Arnaudin is a staff writer for Mountain Xpress. He also reviews films for ashevillemovies.com and is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) and North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA). Follow me @EdwinArnaudin

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