The subject of The Grim Reaper need not be so grim.
In fact, Robert Hay-Smith figures people can fight their fear of death with laughter. That’s precisely what he hopes will happen when the comedy “Gladys in Wonderland” unfolds at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Harlequin Theatre inside FairOaks Mall, 2380 25th St. in Columbus.
“I think the strength of this (show) is being able to laugh at death itself, quite frankly,” said Hay-Smith, the director of the production.
Death is represented by a fellow named Mort decked in a white suit. Needless to say, Mort is more than surprised when he comes calling to take 87-year-old Gladys into the Great Beyond — and she makes it clear that she is stayin’ alive.
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But Death himself is hardly beyond a few tricks, including using a parade of obnoxious friends, to push her toward the light.
However, the crochety woman who loves her sweets swears at one point that she would not dare leave behind several cream-filled doughnuts sitting nearby even for a heavenly trade-off. Local actress Connie Kiviniemi-Baylor, a veteran actress at The Harlequin and elsewhere in the area, plays Gladys. She realized when she took the role that her own mother died at about the same age as Gladys.
“She used to help me run my lines (for plays),” Kiviniemi-Baylor said. “But she was not afraid of death. She saw it merely as a part of life.”
But Gladys is a different sort — “a curmudgeon,” as the lead performer labels her.
“She has an awful lot of little smart-aleck comebacks for everyone,” Kiviniemi-Baylor said.
Beyond the humor, Kiviniemi-Baylor sees the play as offering substantial serious food for thought beyond Gladys’ pastries and such.
“I think it can help us think about how we treat the older people in our lives and all around us,” she said.
Hay-Smith said he feels certain that audiences will embrace playwright Rosemary Frisino Toohey’s levity with such a serious-sounding topic.
“At first glance, it would seem like this would be morbid,” he said. “But we make sure that it’s not. It’s absolutely not. There are some really funny, lovely bits in this.”
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What: "Gladys in Wonderland," a comedy about Death’s parade of obnoxious people he sends to visit an 87-year-old woman to convince her to die.
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Where: The Harlequin Theatre inside FaiorOaks Mall, 2380 25th St. in Columbus.
Tickets: $15 in advance, available at Viewpoint Books in downtown Columbus or online at brownpapertickets.com. $20 at the door.
Information and reservations: 812-343-4597
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