Is He Dead?

I went with my friend Sophie to see “Is He Dead?”, the new play by Mark Twain. We both agreed that it was the funniest theatre that either of us had seen in a long time. And we both see a lot of theatre. It appears this Twain fellow is funny. Actually he had quite a bit of help from David Ives, who streamlined and polished Twain’s original 1898 effort, and seems to have turned it into a much better play.

But I’m not writing this because of that. I’m writing this because of the title. The line “Is he dead?”, spoken in the first act by a minor character, is the singular pivotal moment in the story, the one absolutely necessary line of dialog. It functions as a finely honed knife edge upon which the entire plot turns.

So I’m wondering, are there other works like that? In which one key line of dialog powers the narrative, and is also right up there as the title?

I can think of two titles that are vaguely in the ballpark, but not quite the same. The title of “Reuben Reuben” is indeed spoken as a line of dialog, and one that changes everything. But as those of you who have seen this delightful film will know, the line is uttered rather, um, late in the plot.

Another oddball example is “You Can Count on Me.” What is wonderful about this title is that not only does it accurately define the central relationship in the film, which determines everything that follows, but it describes a line of dialog that is never spoken. The film makes it clear that the two central characters have repeated this sentence to each other countless times; in fact it is their shared mantra. But the filmmaker respects their privacy: We are never allowed to hear them say it. And yet it’s the title of the movie!

I would expect nothing less from Kenneth Lonergan, a writer/director so self-possessed that at one point he wanders into the film as a priest, and proceeds to have an existential debate with one of his fictional characters. I mean, how cool is that?

But neither of these examples is really quite like “Is He Dead?”: A title that consists of the single line of spoken dialog upon which turns the entire plot. Can anybody think of another title that fits the bill?