Lucifer Descending

MBS Productions’ LUCIFER DESCENDING, Addison

*Reviewed 10-21-2010 Performance

Reviewed by Laura L. Watson


______________LUCIFER DESCENDING______________
Reviewed by Laura L. Watson

“All sins have logic… All sins come from truth… All sins come from love.”

MBS Production’s thought provoking and creepy original work LUCIFER DESCENDING had its world premiere just in time for Halloween at the Stone Cottage Theatre in Addison.

Lucifer has kidnapped Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve, and gives him not only a tour but an explanation of hell. The ten levels of hell correlate to the ten commandments which are recited in the original Vulgate Latin as written in the first completed Christian Bible from 382 AD, and each commandment has a rather notorious sinner who broke that commandment and has a torture derived from the crime. For example, Jezebel was guilty of idol worship and her punishment is to be a frozen statue for all eternity. During the tour, Seth meets these sinners, and the sinners are allowed a moment of relief from their torture in order to explain why they did what they did.

Director, Choreographer, and Writer Mark-Brian Sonna explains in the program that this is meant to be a modern day Morality Play. For many centuries, morality plays were written and performed with the intention of teaching the illiterate masses Bible stories. Each scene has its own lesson, with monologues at the beginning and end of the show that ties them all together with a greater lesson presented. Sonna writes he uses “the Bible itself, and the words written within it to propose a different understanding and view of the morality of Lucifer.”

While it was thought provoking (and creepy and scary and horrifying as hell should be), Sonna also wrote he targeted human emotions. This might be the one miss of LUCIFER DESCENDING. I did not feel for these sinners, and I did not fear the tortures of hell as presented in this play. I could not relate to any of it. I think this may have been because each scene was so quick, the audience didn’t have time to build a relationship with this person (on top of preconceived bias we had before we met them.) However, I was able to relate to their logic and reasoning behind their disobedience, which left me thinking at the end of the night. Some of the sinners are VERY well known, including Nero and Delilah, but others are more obscure, in the case of Elizabeth Bathory and Torquemada. There was an assumption that all of the sinners, and their crimes, were common knowledge, and so I spent time during a few monologues trying to piece together what they had done along with their explanation of why they did it. Also, I questioned why certain people were chosen to represent that particular sin. Some are no brainers, such as Elizabeth Bathory for murder, but others were a bit of a stretch. Salome’s greatest crime was lying? However, there is a limitless supply of sinners to represent each and every sin, and I enjoyed learning some history alongside being challenged in my long held beliefs of right and wrong. It would be nice to hear from some “modern day” sinners, such as Hitler or Stalin, too. At the end of most scenes, I agreed both with Lucifer that the sinner is clearly guilty of breaking the commandment and yet they are unjustly punished because they had good reasons for their sins. It’s a paradox.

The greatest triumph of the script, though, is the alternative view of Lucifer that it offers and the justification “big sinners” have for their crimes that is eerily similar to my personal reasoning when I feel I must disobey. I won’t give away the revelation of Lucifer, but it is sufficient to say that Sonna’s Lucifer is not entirely the traditional Judeo-Christian one. This Lucifer wants to explain things, wants to justify, and he wants to keep mankind on the straight and narrow. He is not out to torture, scare, or do other monster things. As someone who was practically born asking “why”, I thoroughly enjoyed an evening of plausible “because” answers that left me thinking.

Similar to interpretive dance, MBS Productions enjoys pushing the artistic envelope with their “choreographed” plays. The seven actors portray over 20 characters/creatures while also using fabric to create the set, represent the torturous flames, and combine their voices to sound like hundreds calling out from the pits of hell. It is an artistic representation of hell, not a literal. I particularly enjoyed the transitions through the levels of hell as Lucifer guided a semi-drugged Seth without a word. They moved like experienced ballet dancers, though no dance credits were listed. Some of the actors need to be more sure of the steps, though. There were times it felt more like a rehearsal. Actors need to take that step, fall, or wrap up in the fabric with confidence and without sneaking a peek at their cast mates to check their position.

This is not a play with a lot of spectacle as the focus is on the text. As previously mentioned, there is no set. As the audience enters, there are black curtains on one end of the Stone Cottage and big bat wings splayed on the floor which Lucifer quickly puts on during the opening monologue. The actors make use of various colors of cloth to create flames, water, chains, and so forth. Costumes are minimal with chorus members being in black shirts and black pants, adding a Roman breastplate for Nero or allowing Salome to change into a Harem dancer’s outfit. Lucifer wears a simple loin cloth and bat wings, and twists his hair into horns. His body is covered in body paint and glitter. He resembles a gargoyle. Seth wears a simple, ordinary red skirt with sash. The Stone Cottage doesn’t allow for a lot of creative lighting, and such was the case with LUCIFER DESCENDING. It was a little bland, even having two actors sit on the floor and spotlight Lucifer as he hovered over the audience using flashlights. It is an “artsy” play- dance and movement, a little fabric are used to represent what is being described. As I told the cast after the show, I’d like to see this as a movie. The effects- wrapped in red fabric for flames, masks for twisted head, etc, didn’t scare or shock me, and a couple were hard to figure out what it’s supposed to be. I’d love to see it with some big budget special effects. That is my preference. As an artist, though, I can totally appreciate the representation and attempt to do something in a different way. The hard work and dedication of all involved is evident and I applaud it. You should experience it.

Ivan Jones as the title character Lucifer was a surprising choice since I had last seen him in MBS Productions’ A DREAM CAFÉ where he played a flamboyant and flippant gay waiter. Jones displays that he has a wide range and is capable of portraying more than one type. His long, lean, muscular body moved with ease and grace as he commanded the stage. His deep, resonating voice literally shook the rafters at times. I did want more fluid movements from him, though, especially when he hovered over the audience. He seemed to be second guessing his movements then. I also wanted to see Lucifer build in his justification argument, and at times felt Jones was relying on his monster image to scare the audience. After a while, a deep yell or a menacing stare just isn’t as terrifying as it was in the beginning, and it began to fall a little flat. Though, in the end, he got another spark and brought Lucifer roaring back to life.

Challenged with the task of being the “everyman” Seth was Rey Torres. As difficult as being a scary monster or tortured in hell is, playing the average, normal guy is equally challenging because he must still be believable and must be the one the audience relates to. Torres never once stops being Seth, but we also don’t get to know him very well because the text doesn’t focus on him for long at all. We, the audience, don’t know if we can relate to him or not. However, he asks the questions we all want answered (why) and his journey to understanding is ours as well. The difference, of course, is that he takes the journey ‘for the first time’ every night. As I mentioned before, he also moves like a trained dancer alongside Jones, creating some truly beautiful moments.

Charli Armstrong was both Cleopatra and Jezebel, and had a few lines as Salome’s mother. Armstrong has a strong voice, supported with lots of power even when being hung upside down. When she was acting as a member of the chorus, she continued to react to everything that was going on even though she wasn’t the focus. In contrast, some of her cast mates would become stoic when they thought no one was looking. Cleopatra, guilty of adultery, is sentenced to an eternity of rape, and she reacted to the rape powerfully. Sonna was smart not to limit her to just strong women- she also well played the tizzy bat-like creatures and became other set pieces or creatures as needed with no problem. I’m convinced there isn’t a role she can’t play.

Delilah and Elizabeth Bathory were played by Sara “Ragsy” Ragsdale. The vocal difference between Delilah and Elizabeth was astounding. It’s hard to believe they were the same person though she could have used some physical variations between the two. Like Armstrong, she played the strong woman sentenced to torture well, and she glided into chorus roles without a hitch. Her monologue as Delilah, a distraught woman in love who just wanted to keep her man safe, was the most emotionally truthful performance of the ending. In contrast, Elizabeth Bathory was a delusional serial killer who painted her body with the blood of her victims. This was less believable, but nonetheless creepy.

Dylan Peck was King John (stole money from his subjects), Torquemada (the man who killed thousands for not being good Christians in the name of God), and various chorus members. Peck has a good voice with lots of power. His portrayals of King John and Torquemada were similar-regal yet whiney-, but his other unnamed characters were all very distinct. Unlike some of his cast mates, he reacted realistically when he was tortured.

Alejandra Flores as Salome was the first sinner we met, guilty of lying to her father. (Salome was the one who danced for her father and then asked for the head of John the Baptist as payment.) Flores was a sympathetic Salome, and the audience truly felt she was being unjustly punished as she was a victim of incest and “just wanted to be free of her father.” Flores seemed nervous, though, and kept glancing at the audience as if for approval. She also seemed self-conscious in her costume- beaded bra-like top and low-rise harem pants. As the show progressed, and she became other characters including Pentaware (guilty of dishonoring his father, the Pharaoh Ramsey, by trying to kill him), she relaxed and her focus returned to her lines or choreography which resulted in a more convincing performance. This was her first professional production, and it asked a lot of her. Her immaturity at times showed, but for the most part, she kept up with her fellow actors. A bio would be much appreciated by the audience, though.

Nero, Severus, and Caligula were all played by David Gorman. He has a deep voice and a long, menacing stare, but he needed more physical differences between his characters. All his rulers were the same- they talked the same, they moved the same. Except for the torture they were sentenced to, they were nearly indistinguishable. The same could be said of his chorus characters. Gorman was a good choice, though, in that he brought a dark, strong presence to the cast that the others fed on.

MBS Productions’ LUCIFER DESCENDING at Addison’s Stone Cottage Theatre, is for those who seek Halloween entertainment in the form of a psychological experience rather than a gory, scream filled horror. LUCIFER DESCENDING had some elements of low budget theatre and some scenes were hit or miss, but overall, I really enjoyed my journey through hell- enough that I’m going back on Halloween, in costume too!

LUCIFER DESCENDING runs through November 7 at the Stone Cottage Theatre, 15650 Addison Circle, Addison.

Tickets are available at www.mbsproductions.net or by calling 214-477-4942. Special Halloween performances, where the audience can come dressed in costume and will recieve a trick-or-treat bag full of candy and other prizes, will be Saturday October 30 and Sunday October 31. Ticket prices vary.


Directed and Choreographed by Mark-Brian Sonna
Written by Mark-Brian Sonna
Stage and Production Manager: Korey-Elizabeth Parker
Costume Design: Larry E. Groseclose
Set and Lighting Design: Alejandro de la Costa
Lighting Technician: Justin Knox
Sound Design and Original Music: Mark-Brian Sonna
Box Office Management: Kim Wickware

CAST
Lucifer: Ivan Jones
Seth: Rey Torres
Nero/Severus/Caligula: David Gorman
Salome/Pentaware: Alejandra Flores
King John/Torquemada: Dylan Peck
Delilah/Elizabeth Bathory: Sara “Ragsy” Ragsdale
Cleopatra/Jezebel: Charli Armstrong