In 1961, fresh from the success of the Obie award-winning production of The Prodigal, his modern existential retelling of the Orestes-Agamemnon story, 26 year-old Jack Richardson premiered his darkly comedic play Gallows Humor. The script is a trumpeting of carpe diem, which features a man two hours away from his hanging, the Warden of the jail, a prostitute hired by the penitentiary to ease his final hours, the hangman, and his wife. It was a commercial success. With its moral of ‘live for today,’ it’s incredibly ironic that Richardson never again wrote a successful play. His star shone brightly and burned out quickly, but in its wake is left this little gem of a black comedy. iTheatre Collaborative has unearthed this jewel and assigned seasoned director Charles St. Clair to polish it.

A prologue given by Death in full theatrical regalia sets the tone for the evening. His admonishment that it’s difficult for him to distinguish the living from the dead these days lets you know in no uncertain terms what the author’s lesson shall be. Walter, the condemned man (Walt Pedano), an obsessively ordered lawyer whose life crumbled when he lost a slam-dunk case because of a bodily function and ended when he murdered his wife, has rediscovered his mind-numbing order within the penitentiary walls. The pontificating Warden (Greg Lutz) surprises him with a gift to go along with his final supper: Lucy (Deborah Weissman Ostreicher) a prostitute on the prison’s payroll contracted to bring a little joy to the condemned’s last minutes on earth. These two characters of completely differing temperaments lock horns in a battle between living and zombification. The second act features a similar battle between the prison’s hangman Phillip (Pedano) and Martha, his wife of 20 years (Ostreicher). Phillip longs to break free of his tedious life, but his wife has other ideas for him, despite her momentary lapse of judgment with the Warden.

St. Clair propels the pacing of the monologue-laden play enough to get the point across, keeping the eye and mind simultaneously engaged without allowing the audience to lose track. He keeps his actors on their feet in a way that doesn’t look stagy but creates some interesting stage pictures along the way.

Pedano gives a bravura performance. From the twitching of his right eye as Walter to the uptight walk he gives Phillip, he creates two completely separate, completely breathing characters for whom you can’t help but feel empathy. The idiosyncrasies he imbues in each separate creation turn him unrecognizable between acts, despite his cheesy moustache in the second.

Ostreicher is entertaining, but not quite as distinct moving between the pro and the housewife. As Lucy, she is slinky in a working girl sort of way, and as Martha, she takes on a wife with all of the charm of Alice Kramden in curlers and wrinkle remover. However, Ostreicher’s underlying movements and poses remained no matter whether she was chasing a condemned man around a cell or standing firm against a hangman in her kitchen. Her hand-on-hips stance and the distinctive movements of her hands carry over, blurring the line that Pedano easily draws. Still, it’s fun to watch her take control of both of her character’s superhuman strengths.

Lutz is a hoot as the Warden of questionable taste and morals. Though only a small part of each scene, it is his character’s machinations that kick things into action, and he has the comedic timing down to make these setups hilarious.

Finally, in his cameo appearance as Death, Mike Traylor is in peak form. He captures the theatrical nature of the grim reaper and is funny to boot.

The unbilled design element is strong. The two box sets are strong creations, capturing the cell-like elements of both. The lighting is unobtrusive. The sound design is simple but supportive.

This is another great production from iTC, and proof that this up-and-coming company belongs in the ranks of companies like Stray Cat and Nearly Naked for their willingness to put on shows that larger theatres fear to mount. I eagerly look forward to their ambitious upcoming season.