Theatre of Death: MBS Brings Back To Life Dying Art Form

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 15^th 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.

Please Note:  Theatre of Death contains brief  nudity and graphic language.  It is intended for mature audiences only.

Photo Credit:  Mark-Brian Sonna 

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