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Theatre of Death: The Deadliest Plays
Alexandra Bonifield, PegasusNews.com, 2007
Chills. Thrills. Things that go bump (and grind) in the night. They titillate. They spellbind. They terrify. They may disgust. This play event locks its fangs on your imagination and drags it to the deepest, dank recesses of the human psyche. It’s such a fun way to spend a fall evening!
Kicking off MBS Productions’ 4th season at the Stone Cottage in Addison, Theatre of Death consists of a series of vignettes in two acts with one dark, unifying theme. According to Mark Brian-Sonna, the producer/director and also a performer, “these plays (are) a form of Spanish theatre dating back to the Middle Ages, known as Teatro Breve." Before you decide that’s too ancient and decrepit, SNL at its most perverse could learn a few tricks (and treats) from this production. It sure ain’t “proper viewing” for decent, God-fearing folk! The cast of seven inspired, fearless souls weaves a mesmerizing ensemble performance ranging from a cappella chant and tone poem to farcical melodrama, dance and an almost TOO realistic depiction of a “day in the life” of a serial killer. The washes of rose, rust, crimson, scarlet and burgundy light that bathe the performers in the intimate cottage space focus the production’s somber ambience of doom and mayhem and create stark contrast between each piece while binding them together. Have a glass of wine. Have several. You may need them.
It’s hard to pinpoint highlights, as each vignette offers a wealth of creative delight. Greeted on opening night by the most exuberant audience response were the final pieces of each act. Act I’s “Floor 13” concerns a surreal elevator ride from Hell for four hapless people held captive by their elevator (shades of Hal the Computer). Their terms of “release” create uncanny comic business. By the time one male character politely asks the other, ”Shall I go down on you first, or do you want to do me?” as they strip down to crimson Speedos, the audience erupts in hysterical laughter. I won’t spoil the ending!
The culminating vignette of Act II is the most controversial in the show with the most completely realized script and brilliant acting performances by Mr. Sonna and Carol Anne Gordon. The slight pause before the piece begins allows weak–stomached audience members time to step outside the cottage. At its conclusion, the audience sits in stunned silence. It’s worth the price of the whole evening, if you can handle it.
Attending Theatre of Death: The Deadliest Plays is rather like experiencing the “House of Horrors” at a Traveling Carnie Show; you won’t come out the same as you went in. Kudos to Matt Fowler, Carol M. Rice, Jana McGill, Heather Hill, Travis Mayo, Carol Anne Gordon, Alejandro de la Costa, Tiffany Hillert and Mark-Brian Sonna for a spine-tingling, superlative production.
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If you’re looking for Teatro Breve, you won’t find it playing in New York—on or off-Broadway. In fact, the only Teatro Breve currently in America is in Addison at the Stone Cottage Theatre. Teatro Breve, which is Spanish for “brief Theatre,” dates back to Medieval Spain. It is comprised of short playlets that last between five and thirty minutes. They were first performed in the marketplace for common people with no sets and a minimum of props. Teatro Breve evokes a specific feeling—be it laughter, surprise or horror. These are not skits or scenes—rather pieces of compact drama.
Mark-Brian Sonna of MBS Productions, has created an evening of Teatro Breve. Theatre of Death is comprised of seven playlets from the genre—four were resurrected from old Spanish works and three created especially for the evening’s entertainment. As the title implies, all seven had a common theme—there is at least one death before, during or at the end of each piece. The works ranged from the broad comedy of Havoc of Love and Jealousy, a Tragedy to the suspenseful The Love of Bernal Frances to the Sartre-esque Room 13. The second part opened with The Student, an auspicious stage debut for local playwright Travis Mayo.
The company of six who performed throughout the evening were uniformly exceptional. James Casarez, Jr. has a commanding voice and quite descriptive facial expressions. These talents were put to good use in the last playlet, Mind Games, a Hithcockian-like thriller. Maria Robles is quite versatile—she can play drama or comedy equally well. Her gestures and mannerisms were rich and genuinely moving. Jared Culpepper is a master of foreign accents—he was equally amusing whether he played a Frenchmen or a gentleman whose accent appeared to be Russian.
Nancy Lamb was a force in action. She delivered a 250-line monologue as The Virgin Mary in one piece that was so powerful it probably registered new values on The Richter Scale. Michael Johnson was a delight in drag, and probably had the funniest death scene of the evening. Kelley Vest has mastered the art of the witty aside and employed it to great effect. Mr. Sonna delighted us with his nonverbal observations during a scene change and his interaction with the audience when he introduced one of the playlets.
Mr. Sonna’s direction of Theatre of Death was also remarkable. Each piece flowed right into the next quickly and easily. Usually I find it distracting when the actors move sets and props, but in Theatre of Death it seemed natural. One could imagine that you were watching street performers enacting Teatro Breve in 15th Century Spain. As mentioned, the playlets are quite different in style and content, but Mr. Sonna had firm control on each one and it was played for maximum entertainment. He used the small playing space and its proximity to the audience to great advantage.
The costumes and props were the work of Alejandro de la Costa, who also wrote Room 13. Mr. de la Costa executed his task with loving care—especially in the resurrected pieces. The costumes were both dramatic and witty—and nearly all had a touch of blood-like red!
This review cannot possibly recreate what a truly unparalled entertainment Theatre of Death is. You owe it to yourself to experience the searing intensity of this evening in person.
Theatre of Death will run through October 31. For more information, please visit the MBS Productions Website.
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Death Be Very ProudTheatre of Death makes the end short and sensational By Andrea Grimes, Dallas Observer
Looking for a great date night this fall? Sick of the same old dinner and a movie? Tired of getting hammered with your special someone at the same five bars over and over again and coming home to have the same drunken almost-sex before passing out in the kitchen on your way to get the Country Crock spread? Well, have we got the evening activity for you! Look no further than the Theatre of Death, seven short plays about murder, death and dying, guaranteed to put everyone in the mood. The plays, known as Teatro Breve (English: brief theatre—sound familiar, drunky?), are sure to titillate, as they have never before been produced in North Texas. With titles such as "Lamentation of the Fifth Anguish," "Song of Bitter" and "Havoc of Love and Jealous," the plays (each no longer than 30 minutes and with a guaranteed twist, mind you) will bring out the playful death-lover in all of us. Amp up the fun after the show by renting one of the feel-good Faces of Death videos at your local Blockbuster. [Editor's note: Ew. Don't.] The show runs in that most morbid of suburbs, Addison, at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison Road. Performances are 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays (beginning Wednesday, and through October 31), with 2:30 p.m. matinees Sundays. Tickets are $15 to $25, available online. Performances are obviously not appropriate for children...just the way we like 'em. |
13 ways to trick, treat and get your scare on by Halloween
Mark Lowry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
13)...And, in what has become one of the more interesting Halloween theatrical events, MBS Productions’ third Theatre of Death is an evening of teatro breve, or short, macabre plays. Some are new, others date back to the 15th century. There’ll be plays by Fray Iñigo de Mendoza, Juan Valera, Federico García Lorca and others. |
‘Theatre of Death’ packs chills and heat
Dallas Voice, Arnold Wayne Jones
For the past few years, local actor-playwright Mark-Brian Sonna’s “Theatre of Death” show has been a Halloween staple. The ancient format is a series of short plays — some written in medieval times, some by the likes of Lorca and some as recent as this year — but all with a macabre theme. But Sonna, of course, never hesitates to inject as much queer content as possible into his work, and this one promises to be ghoulish and sexy. |
Theatre of Death
D Magazine
Teatro Breve, also known as Brief Theatre, has been around for a long time. (Like, the Middle Ages.) Seven short plays are shown, each lasting between five and 20 minutes. Each play is classified as brief, surprising, and sensational. For the Halloween season, the troupe has chosen frightening and thought-provoking plays with one common theme. You guessed it: death. |
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