Laughing in the Face of Death

Highlands Current Audio Stories · Jun 12, 2026 · 3m

Traveling troupe brings romp to Howland The jolly play Death and the Fool presents a musical romp through medieval Europe, when droves of people died from the plague and purveyors of whimsical folly did their best to leaven the mood. The play, which will be performed by the Happenstance Theater on June 20 at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, is promoted as family-friendly, although one of the characters is Death. "Kids have to deal with deep stuff all the time," says Sabrina Mandell, who co-directs the Maryland-based troupe with her husband, Mark Jaster. "This is no worse than church."…