The Little Death

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Misha Latyshev

One person standing behind three people on a couch.

Cast members of the Broom Street Theater production "The Little Death" (from left): Alyssa Stowe, Brent Holmes, Dale Gardner and Meaghan Heires.

media release:  Broom Street Theater is proud to present the new comedy "The Little Death", written and directed by Malissa Petterson. An injured prima ballerina and a spicy romance novelist are an unlikely duo in this dark comedy about love and death.

Principal dancer Lavender Dickenson experienced a bone-crushing trauma - literally - and finds herself on several weeks of isolated bedrest. Her only company? The ghost of Gladys Cumberbatch, bestselling romance novelist carting around two main characters worth of unfinished business. When circumstances put Gladys in danger, Lavender vows to help her friend crossover, while navigating the US healthcare system and a budding romance with the hot superintendent.

While the playwright denies that the play is autobiographical, she has had her struggles with the American healthcare system. Malissa fractured her pelvis in a fall in 2020, and suffered an extended period of immobility. She also points out that a woman's loss of control over her own body is especially resonant in our post-Roe environment. 

Even through the struggle, the play offers hope. "I used to think the joy would come later - when I finished, when I got the call, when I got a contract, when I became a bestseller. It was a long time before I learned that writing was what I loved, even as I wanted to rip my hair out, even as I cried over my keyboard, the real joy was in creation, getting to tell a story, my favorite thing.", says Gladys Cumberbatch. 

The cast features Dale Gardner, Alyssa Stowe, Brent Holmes, Meaghan Heires, Becky Brinkman, and John Siewert.

This show contains adult language, adult content, brief nudity, and brief use of herbal tobacco. This show portrays situations of medical trauma and death. It is intended for mature audiences. The Little Death opens September 23 and runs through October 15. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night at 8pm. All shows have available seating for walk-up patrons, and all walk-up tickets are Pay-What-You-Can. A limited number of reserved seats are available online for $22. See www.bstonline.org for details.