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No, Gordon can't hear you now – or anyone, for that matter.

His phone may be set on pulse, but he, sadly, is without one. The condition hasn't stopped him from headlining a show, however. The titular character in playwright Sara Ruhl's "Dead Man's Cell Phone" sets the dark comedy of errors in motion on Friday at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre.

Actor DC Cathro portrays the corpse, slumped in chair, eyes wide and glassy. And, yet, surprisingly verbose.

"In Act Two, I have a fairly lengthy monologue about the day I died," says Cathro regarding the occasional opportunities to, you know, emote throughout the production. "I also have a couple of scenes where I discuss – how can I put this? – heaven or hell, a limbo of some sort. It's never really specified."

Cathro laughs when asked about his active pursuit of the role.

"Honestly, I went through a period where I was playing a lot of silent roles," he says. "So it amused me immediately that the dead man was a character."

Not only a character, but also a catalyst: As Gordon's cell phone rings incessantly at a café, a frustrated woman seated at an adjacent table decides to take matters into her own hands and answers it for him, soon realizing she has just fielded a call for a cadaver.

But then she answers it again.

And again.

"She inadvertently gets caught up in his life," says Cathro. "She meets his family, goes to his funeral, begins dating his brother... It's a dark comedy. It's definitely one of those ‘chaos ensues' pieces."

The chaos will be controlled by Peter Wray this time around, who returns to the Maryland Ensemble after helming shows like "Macbeth," "Wonder of the World" and "Almost, Maine" for the company. Currently associate professor of theater at Towson University, Wray is held in high esteem with Ensemble members, past and present.

"He's the main reason I came back to do the show," says Cathro, a former ensemble member, noting that Wray's expertise was crucial in setting the tone.

"The way it's written, it's enigmatic," Cathro continues. "It could be handled in a very funny way – or very dark. I've worked with Peter on a few occasions, and I was hoping he would go the comedic route. I feel that's the way it should be handled. It's all about communication, and the lack thereof, which I find [humorous.]"

Ensemble member Lisa Burl previously worked with Wray on the MET's "Wonder of the World." She notes similarities between her characters then and now, with Jean — the obsessive, dialing-for-dead-man ingénue — being the more grounded of the two.

Really?

"I get the feeling that my character is alone a lot," she says in defense of the heroine. "I think she feels that he was alone, and she's very alone. But she gets so entrenched in his life. She's trying to make everything right."

Meanwhile, Cathro will merely be trying not to sneeze.

"He's so good at playing dead," Burl exclaims. "He just sits there. He doesn't move. He doesn't blink. It barely looks like he's breathing. But there was one rehearsal — I guess his eyes had been open for so long that his tear ducts started to fill up."

"Lisa looks over, and here's this crying corpse she has to deal with," laughs Cathro. "She's like, ‘You're freaking me out!'"

Cathro plans to sneak a blink here and there as Burl pulls the focus of the audience, which he has no doubt she will. The character of Jean drives the show, he says, a fact with which her portrayer has not quite made peace.

"One of the other cast members mentioned that she's like the sun and all of the other characters are the planets that revolve around her, which really makes me feel uncomfortable," says Burl, who confesses to auditioning for the production based solely on the bizarre title.

"Everyone [involved] is a company member," she says of the cast, which also features the talents of Gené Fouché, Julie Herber, Brian Irons and Karen Paone-McDonald. "We've all worked with one another in some capacity. We trust each other. That's why I hate that analogy ... because this is a true ensemble piece."

That's a good thing; after all, this is a show about staying connected, despite decaying circumstances.

"It's a little more out there," says Cathro. "It's not the typical Neil Simon [style of comedy]. It's a little off the wall. It's more FX than ABC Family ... It's not your door-slamming kind of farce."

But, hopefully, it's a seat-filler.

"Just please turn off your cell phones," Burl says.

noravec@gazette.net

Dead Man's Cell Phone

-When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 8 p.m. Feb. 24 and March 3; 2 p.m. Feb. 20, 27; and 7 p.m. Feb. 27

-Where: Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 West Patrick St., Frederick

-Tickets: $22 for adults, $19 for students and seniors, $15 on Thursdays and Sundays ($5 for First Friday preview tickets, available one hour before show time on Feb. 4; cash only)

-For information: 301-694-4744

www.marylandensemble.org