Funky Little Theatre production explores life and death with a surprisingly light tone.

A story about a dying man may not sound like light summer fare, but Funky Little Theater’s new production of Tuesdays with Morrie — a play by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom, based on Albom’s best-selling 1997 memoir — highlights the work’s wit and surprisingly light tone.

“An old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson,” goes the familiar tagline as we follow Morrie, an idiosyncratic professor, befriending and mentoring Mitch, a confused undergraduate. Mitch is grateful for the relationship but, in the press of life after graduation, lets it lapse until, 16 years later, he learns Morrie has been diagnosed with ALS.

Mitch reaches out and, over the next several months, visits Morrie regularly. These visits feature Morrie, who swears he hates to give advice, giving Mitch lots of advice. Morrie’s aphorisms run along the lines of valuing other people, forgiveness and valuing living life fully over ambition. It’s true, and always worth being reminded of.

What makes it really hit home, though, is Morrie’s physical decline and his determination to face death without euphemizing. “Dying,” Morrie retorts when Mitch hesitates to use that word. “I can live with that.”

John Longo as Morrie. | Photo: Chris Medina

Uneven duo

Funky founder and Artistic Director Chris Medina portrays Mitch while Funky regular John Longo plays Morrie Schwartz. There’s an easy give-and-take between the two that befits the characters.

As Morrie, Longo has the range to take on the character’s joie de vivre, bluntness, sadness and occasional anger. He is particularly convincing in the physicality the role calls for: trembling hands when he feeds himself or hacking coughs for which he’s lost the muscular strength to clear without help.

Oddly, for a work based on his memoir, the character of Mitch is less rounded. The character frames many scenes with expository speeches about events in the interim. It somehow gives Mitch, who recalls the events from a distance, less skin in the game.

As written, Mitch seems to be a standard-issue modern person: reasonably sincere but trapped in busy-ness and ambition. Medina is poised and expressive but never quite makes it out of the character’s two-dimensional sketch.

The set design, by Nancy Hankin and Chris Medina (wearing multiple hats), and Hankin’s lighting design are especially effective. A white, V-shaped column occupies center stage, and a white panel stands to one side. Between scenes the varied lighting schemes, which also background shadowed lattice and vines, play across the set, creating a reflective, contemplative mood.

Props design, by Helen Valencia and Aaliyah Valencia showed great attention to detail, such as a copy of Christopher Hitchens’ Mortality displayed prominently on a bookshelf. Scene transitions were smooth and efficient.

Andrew Powers ran both lighting and sound quite smoothly. Ringing phones, newscasts, opera recordings, were all supplied seamlessly.

Founded in 2013, Funky Little Theater Company has demonstrated tremendous staying power, weathering uncertain theater space, to win a loyal following in Colorado Springs. Palmer Lake is also embracing the little theater company that could. Tuesdays With Morrie is another well-executed crowd pleaser in Funky’s run of productions.