LOVE, LUST, & LIES
By Alejandro de la CostaMBS Productions
Director – Mike Hathaway
Assistant Director – Adam Livingston
Set Designer – Alejandro de la Costa
Sound Designer – Mike Hathaway
Stage Manager – Adam Livingston
Costumes Designer – Alejandro de la Costa
Lighting Designer – Mark- Brian Sonna
CAST
Jay – Mark- Brian Sonna
Jeff – Richard S. Blake
Audra – Suzanne Mobarak
Reviewed Performance: 2/4/2017
Reviewed by Scott W. Davis , Associate Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
MBS Productions is no stranger to the writings of Alejandro de la Costa at all and yes, here comes another. Love, Lust, & Lies is another notch in the belt and honestly is something for all involved to be proud of. The story, which is based on true events, follows Jeff and Jay a couple that had broken up many years ago but find some feelings still linger. The Problem, well one of them is married now which may complicate things a little.
This play, like many of Alejandro de la Costa’s, was filled with provocative humor which kept me laughing from the beginning to the end. He definitely delivers on bringing out the human emotions in this show while still being able to keep the humorous side to help lighten the topics as it goes along. Director Mike Hathaway does an extremely good job with transmitting all of what Alejandro de la Costa wrote while adding his own flare of humor to the show really creating a wonderful flow to the piece. I actually talked to a lot of the people involved in this production and gained a ton of knowledge about the production build that they had. This show, due to casting issues and other timeline events only rehearsed for two weeks with the final script. Yes I said final script; those casting issues actually caused a fourth character to be cut from the show two weeks before they opened. For a cast and crew to go through that and still have a piece that is this polished really shows the versatility and professionalism of all involved.
Jay is the first character that you meet and is portrayed by Mark Brian Sonna. It’s hard to critique someone when they are playing a character based on them. I mean what do you say, he played himself well? I can tell you that his interaction with the other two in the cast was inherently good. There were many things about the performance that Mr. Sonna gave that I liked but his comedic timing was truly something to watch. I loved how quickly he delivered his quips and one liner’s throughout the show.
Jeff comes in as Jay’s old flame and is portrayed by Richard S. Blake. Mr. Blake comes off as a little bit stiff in the beginning but as the show went on you could see him getting a lot more comfortable with the character. The nice thing about the stone cottage is how close the audience is to the playing area. It made it extremely easy to see all the facial expressions that you get out of Mr. Blake. If I had any criticism for the both of them it would be the love scene that ensues. Both actors seemed to have a problem with loosening up during the scene so much that it made it unrealistic.
The person in the show that made me smile the most was Suzanne Mobark. This was her first show with MBS and I do believe that she is fairly new to acting. Being up next to two veterans of the stage can be intimidating but she pushes through this show like a pro. At one point in the show her character breaks down and confides in Jay, the transformation she does from a staunch uptight woman to the vulnerable women she becomes is just wonderful to watch.
The set and costumes were both done by Alejandro de la Costa. I love a set dressed by Mr. de la Costa. His attention to detail is incredible and makes every set he does ultra-realistic. The set looked like a typical living room with a sofa, a chair, and a dining room set sitting next to the fireplace in the cottage. His costuming was good to a point. I found it hard to figure out a time period for the show since all the costumes looked like they were all from different eras, when they wore costumes.
The lighting was tackled by Mark Brian Sonna and worked for the show. The way this show was written there was no need for multiple light cues. The acting area was very well lit which usually at the stone cottage is not the fact.
I had a great time watching this show. In true Alejandro de la Costa fashion the audience gets a bit of nudity with a message. The acting was wonderful and the storyline was excellent. This is a show that will definitely entertain you for a couple of hours.
This play, like many of Alejandro de la Costa’s, was filled with provocative humor which kept me laughing from the beginning to the end. He definitely delivers on bringing out the human emotions in this show while still being able to keep the humorous side to help lighten the topics as it goes along. Director Mike Hathaway does an extremely good job with transmitting all of what Alejandro de la Costa wrote while adding his own flare of humor to the show really creating a wonderful flow to the piece. I actually talked to a lot of the people involved in this production and gained a ton of knowledge about the production build that they had. This show, due to casting issues and other timeline events only rehearsed for two weeks with the final script. Yes I said final script; those casting issues actually caused a fourth character to be cut from the show two weeks before they opened. For a cast and crew to go through that and still have a piece that is this polished really shows the versatility and professionalism of all involved.
Jay is the first character that you meet and is portrayed by Mark Brian Sonna. It’s hard to critique someone when they are playing a character based on them. I mean what do you say, he played himself well? I can tell you that his interaction with the other two in the cast was inherently good. There were many things about the performance that Mr. Sonna gave that I liked but his comedic timing was truly something to watch. I loved how quickly he delivered his quips and one liner’s throughout the show.
Jeff comes in as Jay’s old flame and is portrayed by Richard S. Blake. Mr. Blake comes off as a little bit stiff in the beginning but as the show went on you could see him getting a lot more comfortable with the character. The nice thing about the stone cottage is how close the audience is to the playing area. It made it extremely easy to see all the facial expressions that you get out of Mr. Blake. If I had any criticism for the both of them it would be the love scene that ensues. Both actors seemed to have a problem with loosening up during the scene so much that it made it unrealistic.
The person in the show that made me smile the most was Suzanne Mobark. This was her first show with MBS and I do believe that she is fairly new to acting. Being up next to two veterans of the stage can be intimidating but she pushes through this show like a pro. At one point in the show her character breaks down and confides in Jay, the transformation she does from a staunch uptight woman to the vulnerable women she becomes is just wonderful to watch.
The set and costumes were both done by Alejandro de la Costa. I love a set dressed by Mr. de la Costa. His attention to detail is incredible and makes every set he does ultra-realistic. The set looked like a typical living room with a sofa, a chair, and a dining room set sitting next to the fireplace in the cottage. His costuming was good to a point. I found it hard to figure out a time period for the show since all the costumes looked like they were all from different eras, when they wore costumes.
The lighting was tackled by Mark Brian Sonna and worked for the show. The way this show was written there was no need for multiple light cues. The acting area was very well lit which usually at the stone cottage is not the fact.
I had a great time watching this show. In true Alejandro de la Costa fashion the audience gets a bit of nudity with a message. The acting was wonderful and the storyline was excellent. This is a show that will definitely entertain you for a couple of hours.
LOVE, LUST, & LIES
MBS Productions
The Stone Cottage, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001
Show runs through February 26, 2017
Tickets range from $20 to $23, depending on the night of the week of the show.
Tickets can be purchase on-line or by calling 214-477-4942, or at the theatre box office 30 minutes before curtain time. Seating is assigned in the order in which tickets are purchased. For special seating requests or handicap seating contact us at 214-477-4942. Please refer to the seating chart for each show for the layout of the seats. There is a $1.95 handling fee for each ticket order done on-line or via credit card. ALL SALES ARE FINAL - NO REFUNDS. Go to www.mbsproductions.net for more info.
MBS Productions
The Stone Cottage, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001
Show runs through February 26, 2017
Tickets range from $20 to $23, depending on the night of the week of the show.
Tickets can be purchase on-line or by calling 214-477-4942, or at the theatre box office 30 minutes before curtain time. Seating is assigned in the order in which tickets are purchased. For special seating requests or handicap seating contact us at 214-477-4942. Please refer to the seating chart for each show for the layout of the seats. There is a $1.95 handling fee for each ticket order done on-line or via credit card. ALL SALES ARE FINAL - NO REFUNDS. Go to www.mbsproductions.net for more info.
