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There are those who believe the world will end with trumpets signaling major cataclysms, but in both “The End” and “The Performance,” characters instead shuffle off to Buffalo and tap their little hearts out as the world crumbles around them.

One has chosen to shuffle off this mortal coil.

“Barbie” was the year’s greatest Trojan horse, a pop art tale of empowerment that wants us to think about what it means to shuffle off this mortal coil.

Your anger rises watching guards harass chained Black inmates as they shuffle off a bus, bark insults at them, herd them into a cramped room and order them to strip and expose themselves.

“Got me thinking about character. Legacy. What will I be remembered for when I shuffle off this mortal coil? That Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come always creeps me out. So guess what? I’ve got a new assignment for you guys. A special project.”