The Death of the Novel 1: Sebastian Justice (Vincent Kartheiser) rants about the predictability of this world in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 2: (l to r) Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) has his first publisher-ordered therapy session with Dr. Perry Cray (Amy Pietz) in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

Photo by Kevin Berne.

The Death of the Novel 3: (l to r) Philip (Patrick Kelly Jones) elatedly describes the woman he just met to Claire (Zarah Mahler), Sebastian’s “friend,” and Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 4: (l to r) Philip (Patrick Kelly Jones) checks-in with Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) on his mental state and simultaneously invites himself over for dinner in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 5: The exotic woman Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) is brought to dinner to meet her favorite novelist in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 6: (l to r) Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) and Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) begin to flirt and seduce each other once they are left alone in the apartment in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.  

The Death of the Novel 7: (l to r) Perry (Amy Pietz) listens concernedly as Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) describes how enamored he is with the lies told by the exotic woman he met in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 8: (l to r) Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) momentarily seems guilty as Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) confronts her about the stories she has told him in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 9: (l to r) Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) and Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) are intimately drawn to each other as they both reveal their dark secrets in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 10: (l to r) Perry (Amy Pietz) looks on as Philip (Patrick Kelly Jones) barges in to confront Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) about sleeping with Sheba in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 11: (l to r) Philip (Patrick Kelly Jones) returns from the Middle East to deliver some bad news to Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

The Death of the Novel 12: (l to r) Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) reads her farewell letter to Sebastian (Vincent Kartheiser) in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

(l to r) Vincent Kartheiser as Sebastion Justice and Vaishnavi Sharma as Sheba in San Jose Rep's world premiere of The Death of the Novel. Photo: Aja McCoy.