STEAMBATH (PBS 1973)

This razor-sharp, outrageous comedy portrays God (José Pérez) as the steam bath's overworked Puerto Rican attendant who doles out “wrath” and “blessed events,” in between assignments of scrubbing floors and walls. The play presents the afterlife as a steam bath, in which recently deceased souls (who may not in every case realize that they are dead) continue to obsess about the same petty concerns that obsessed them in their lives. New arrival Tandy (Bill Bixby) at first refuses to accept what's happened, and when he finally does, he pleads to be allowed to return to his life. Also stars Valerie Perrine, Herb Edelman, Stephen Elliott, Kenneth Mars, Art Metrano, Peter Kastner, Biff Elliott. Contains a satirical take on religion, and some brief nudity. (Digital, 90 min)