Earlier this year, when Oakland actor and author John Mercer was due to take the stage for the opening night of his one-man show drawn from his memoir/essay collection, Swearing in English: Tall Tales at Shotgun, he was otherwise occupied: he was in the hospital with viral encephalitis, a life-threatening illness that would keep him there for 11 days.

The advertised shows were cancelled, and the book launch never happened. (You can read more about the memoir here.)

Now Mercer, who is a member of the Shotgun Players, has recovered and the show will go on. What was going to be a one-night show for November 11 at the Ashby Stage (across the street from Ashby BART station) sold out, so a show for Tuesday, November 12, at 8 p.m. has been added. (The performances will also serve as the long-awaited book launch party and signing.) You can click here for tickets.

“I have wanted to call it The Back from the Dead Show,” says Mercer. “After all, it’ll be only 11 days after Halloween. Or since zombies cannot be gotten rid of, no matter how much we want them to please, please go away, The Zombie Virus Ate My Brain Show. Both in appropriately appalling taste. Or, since its 11/11, we could call it The War Is Over Ceasefire Show.”

Mercer is in the meantime busy writing stories for his next book, and says he’ll return to acting in the new year when Shotgun presents all three parts of Tom Stoppard’s Coast of Utopia.