For many, death represents the end of all things, but for Ruby Gaytime (comic duo Sarah Reuben and George Gayler), it is the beginning of great comedy. Their sketch show Death Party confronts the multifarious ways in which different cultures deal with death and also how the elderly have become less valued over time.

“What we are really trying to uncover is the way in which the modern culture in Australia looks at the elderly and what it is about the youth that we are so obsessed with,” Reuben says.

Set in a future where the elderly are discarded when deemed worthless, Death Party incorporates sketch comedy, music, improvisation, props and moving visual backgrounds. Reuben says the piece will reflect the imbalance between the social contribution of the elderly and that of the youth of modern culture, while also highlighting the disparity between how various cultures, such as Inuit and Viking, deal with death.

“The thing that is so exciting about this work is that we are dealing with fact, things that people don’t really know about.”

She says Death Party will depict death as a serious issue, which can be made light of, yet is also deeply personal.

“I want to take out the idea that it is going to be sad and heavy, because it is not, but it will be freckled with poignancy,” she said.

Death Party will run from 19-25 September at 6:45pm (5:45pm on Sunday) at the Parlour Room of the North Melbourne Town Hall.

To purchase tickets, please visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.