Robert Grede's A MUSICAL COMEDY OF LIFE & DEATH to Premiere at Next Act Theatre

Robert Grede, who grew up in Elm Grove, has written a play, RIP – A Musical Comedy of Life & Death, that premieres in Milwaukee this July.

Set in the fictitious McCobb (macabre?) Mortuary, five living and five dead characters speak about their regrets and what chance they may have for redemption. The plot is a fun frolic with love, laughter, and suspense. And there’s an interesting surprise at the end.

“When I retired, I began thinking about what comes next,” says Grede. “That led me to wonder what comes after that.” The answer to the first question was RIP. Grede admits he isn’t sure about the answer to the second.

There are 16 songs in the show, including such scary-sounding numbers as “Dead End Job,” “Midnight at the Morgue,” and “Doing the Zombie Dance.” (For music samples, please visit www.RIP-TheMusical.com/the-show)

“Rob’s done an amazing job of defining the ‘rules’ of how The Living and The Dead can and can’t interact,” says the show’s director, Alan Piotrowicz. “During an earlier workshop, we learned that the music serves as the connective thread between them.”

Although better known as a business consultant and best-selling author, Grede’s passion has always been music. A music major with an MBA, he combined his ear for music with his business acumen to create award-winning jingles before building a career as a consultant, educator, and writer.

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