Photo courtesy of Rogue Festival

The colorful walls of the Tower District’s Ashtree Studios displayed a variety of abstract art, dominated by a giant purple button—hardly the place where one would expect to have a run-in with Death.

But there he was, a rotund fellow, decked out in black leather and raccoon-like eye makeup, conversing with a gray-wigged woman leaning on a cane.

“If you want me to reap your soul,â€Â he told her, “you’re going to have to die.â€Â

This was Grim D. Reaper, star of the Rogue Festival’s “Chronicles of Death,â€Â courtesy of The People Next Door Theatre Company, imparting nuggets of wisdom to characters desperate enough to be considering suicide.

“It’s the only way out of my crappy life,â€Â a young brunette said in a trembling voice, surrounded by the gallery’s depictions of rubber duckies and owls.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with a guy, does it?â€Â Grim D. asked.

Later on in the show, a skinny shirtless guy in a robe held a gun to his head, providing the nudity portion of the R-rated comedy.

“Only a real dumbass would kill himself because he has a small dick,â€Â the Reaper commented.

The final scene saw Death in a Hawaiian print shirt and shades, sitting down with an atheist pal for a generous helping of eggs and milk at the Limbo Diner.

His last words of the evening were brief. “You have to grab life by the balls and then yank.â€Â

Celestine Thoren, a junior music composition major, chose to see “Chronicles of Deathâ€Â because it sounded different than some of the other Rogue acts.

“I went on the Rogue site looking for events that sounded interesting,â€Â Thoren said. “I thought this show was pretty funny. It could have been better, but it could have been worse.â€Â

Mitchell Salt, who portrayed the guy in the robe, was especially pumped for this particular performance. “This is my first time being a part of Rogue,â€Â said the Fresno City freshman, “and it’s also my first paid gig.â€Â

He also thought it was a smart idea to bare his chest for his audience. “Nudity of any kind gets people in the door,â€Â he said. “Just throw in some boobs, and here they come.â€Â