Tom Lehrer is dead, but his music lives on in a little Frederick theater

For the small cult-like fan group who follows the satirical singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, the title of a delightful local live show based on his work may cause some confusion. "Tom Lehrer Is Alive and Well and Has Given Away All Rights to His Music" comes across like one of his famously dark jokes, in light of the fact that the genius master of irony passed away in July at the age of 97.

Given Lehrer's penchant for the macabre, like his song about holding onto his dead wife's severed hand, one might be tempted to think the show's title indicates an intention to prop up his corpse behind a piano as his greatest hits play through speakers. But no matter how much he may have liked that idea, the curious nature of the show title has a much more mundane explanation.