DAN’S INFERNO by Eric Miinch, Evan Arppe and Josh Murray. Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. July 3 at 1 pm, July 5 at 2:30 pm, July 7 at 9:30 pm, July 9 at 9:45 pm, July 10 at 5:15 pm. Buy tickets. Rating: NNN
When the forgettable shlub Dan (Eric Miinch) gets killed in a bike accident, he ends up in Perkatory – a purgatory café – with only the memory of a woman whose life he once met briefly on earth determining whether he enters heaven or hell.
Written by members of the sketch troupe Fratwurst, the Dante-meets-It’s A Wonderful Life script contains some clever bits and absurd situations, including a talking toilet and the amusing sight of Josh Murray playing a smug Billy Joel.
The tone wavers throughout, though, and the direction could be tighter. And while there are too many people in the cast, they’re game for most of the plot’s intricate twists, and the show manages – just barely – to come together by the end.
Someone should rethink that Game Of Thrones spoiler, however.