The Wake of Dick Johnson

The Wake of Dick Johnson is a 2016 theatrical play and feature film produced by Alt Variety and distributed by Amazon. It was written, directed by, and stars Luke H. Walker. The story takes place at the wake of its protagonist Dick Johnson, who returns from death to bitterly ruminate about the afterlife, which according to Johnson is a bleak and endless loop of all the world's agonies. The feature film was adapted for screen from the 2016 off-broadway play––also written by, directed and starring Walker––and produced under the same title.

Plot
The Wake of Dick Johnson explores profound questions of memory, identity, and the human condition.

Trapped in a purgatorial state between life and death, the central character grapples with the haunting remnants of his past. Plagued by vivid recollections of trauma, Johnson struggles to separate reality from the reeling apparitions that assail his troubled mind.

As his tenuous grasp on self dissolves into the abyss, Johnson reflects on the fleeting nature of existence and the indifferent vastness of the universe. He questions whether life itself holds any inherent meaning or purpose. If all mortal deeds are but ephemeral ripples soon subsumed by oblivion's tide, what truths - if any - can be discerned amid the chaos?

His relentless descent brings more unsettling revelations. Johnson comes to see humanity as infinitely small against the cosmic whole, our existence a profoundly improbable accident. Life appeared where it never should have, and in death we return to the nothingness from which we came.

Yet something darker also emerges. Johnson's musings give rise to a Lynchian vision where consciousness outlives the corporeal form. The mind becomes a prison, doomed to relive memories of pain unending. Even in nonexistence, some wounds may never fully heal.

As Johnson's ravings devolve into nihilistic abandon, the play asks us to confront life's deepest enigmas. It leaves the audience to wonder: what separates us from the abyss, and how do we find purpose in a universe seemingly devoid of it? A haunting meditation on the human condition, and all that lies beyond the blackness of death's eternal night.

According to Johnson, death is an alternate universe where the cumulative evils of terrestrial life throughout history "abrade the walls of space-time, leaving behind trillions of minuscule punctures and abrasions in the same way sound is recorded on a vinyl record." In this afterlife, Johnson is continually haunted by the ethereal visage of his long-deceased childhood guardian, Uncle Willy. Willy, depicted as a sadistic psychopath who brutally tortured and abused Johnson during his early years, appears on an antique television throughout the play to torment him and gleefully remind him of his past traumas. Both characters, portrayed by the same actor, interact dynamically—often merging and finishing each other's sentences—highlighting the narrative that all things are interconnected in the universe "like fibers in a loom."

Johnson describes this astral plane as one where the most heinous evils throughout all time converge and merge into a singular entity. For Johnson, this realm is a personalized version of hell where he and Uncle Willy are inextricably intertwined for all eternity.

Adding to the unsettling atmosphere, scenes from Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" play throughout the show. These scenes act as a disturbing metronome, paralleling the narrative and escalating the tension.

Play
The Wake of Dick Johnson first premiered in June 2016 in the basement of Maggie Mae's Pub in Queens, NY. In spring 2019, Walker produced a second full-length run of the play in a small, secluded cabin in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was there the play began to receive attention and received its first formal review by Charlotte-based publication QC Nerve. The publication described the play as "[a] comic, eloquent and upsetting rumination on a meaningless universe where even death will not relieve the pain of living." and cited Walker's "distinctive voice" as "poetic, profane and dark as a starless night."

In October, 2019 The Wake of Dick Johnson returned to New York at Performance Space 122; this time Walker incorporated a live score composed by Asheville, North Carolina-based musical duo Okapi (Lindsey Miller, Scott Gorski). There, the play received yet another laudatory review by Broadwayworld.com, which described the play as "gory," "disturbing," "ghastly," "graphic, and grotesque." The review went on to say "this off-broadway show is gory, freaky, and downright alarming." Broadway World described namesake protagonist, Dick Johnson, as a character you instantly hate, but "relatable in the most chilling way". Time Out New York added The Wake of Dick Johnson to its top-13 list of Halloween events. In December 2019 QC Nerve voted The Wake of Dick Johnson Critic's Pick "Best Of the Year 2019" for best one man show. In 2021, Walker brought the show to Los Angeles for its West Coast premiere at the Hudson Theatres. The Wake of Dick Johnson received yet more accolades for its fearlessness and originality. Cultural Attaché praised Walker and compared his writing to the late Charles Bukowski. Horror Buzz rallied behind the show, praising the performance and set design and calling Walker a "powerhouse," citing the alluring pit of existential dread and beauty in how meaningless and fleeting life is portrayed in the play.

According to an interview on Los Angeles Public Radio, Walker undertook every element of this production in most runs of the play. He designed and built the set by hand, produced it himself, and even devised a series of switches to control lighting, and audio visual cues.

Controversy
Luke Walker's play, "The Wake of Dick Johnson," has been surrounded by various controversies over its runs and productions. In the initial stages, Walker's friend, an amateur actor, was slated to play the role of Dick Johnson but withdrew shortly before the debut, citing personal reasons. Walker, who had starred in the play's first three runs, eventually assumed the role.

During the Charlotte premiere, Walker's former girlfriend, a social media influencer, publicly criticized the play, leading to a social media campaign against him. Similarly, during the play's third run at prestigious New York City theatre Mabou Mines at Performance Space New York (PS122) in 2019, there was significant contention with theater management over the play's content. Theater management allegedly demanded censorship of what they deemed offensive and insensitive language, which Walker refused, citing artistic integrity and First Amendment rights. This standoff resulted in extreme measures by theatre management such as locking the doors to the theater to prevent ticket holders from entering the show.

Following these events, a Tony Award-winning producer Cody Lawson signed on to produce a Broadway run of "The Wake of Dick Johnson" for fall 2020. However, shortly after having the script academically peer reviewed, Lawson ceased all forms of communication with Walker without explanation, and the production was abandoned.

In 2021, Walker faced further challenges when bringing the play to the Hollywood. Despite positive reception at The Hudson Theatres, a critical review from Broadway World criticized the play as "tedious and bewildering," raising questions about its creative direction. Walker disputed claims, citing email exchanges between the reporters and his publicist in which they called Walker a bigot, and threatening to ruin him. The story was later retracted by the publisher.

Walker remains committed to his artistic vision despite these challenges, seeking to continue producing and showcasing "The Wake of Dick Johnson" to wider audiences in the future.

Reception
Although described as disturbing, grotesque, and highly controversial, to date the play received unanimous critical praise, calling it profound, poetic and fearlessly bleak. It was listed in Time Out New York Top-13 Halloween theater events alongside many world renowned plays such as The Glass Menagerie, Little Shop of Horrors, and Sleep No More.

Cast

 * Luke H. Walker as Dick Johnson
 * Luke H. Walker as Uncle Willy