The Carioca Theatre Company of Art (A Companhia Carioca de Teatro de Arte) was created almost thirty years ago by famous Brazilian stars like actress Betty Faria, her then husband and brilliant actor Claudio Marzo and Antonio Pedro, veteran comedy actor.

At the time Betty Faria was pregnant. Now, her 28-year-old daughter Alexandra Marzo, a TV and theatre actress, is part of the cast with the Company in A Case of Life or Death.

A Case of Life or Death (Um Caso de Vida ou Morte), (which was called Death Defying Acts in its 1995 run off-Broadway), amalgamates three scripts by David Mamet, Elaine May and Woody Allen. The play was translated by Flavio Marinho and also marks the first return to the stage of actress/writer Betty Faria since her performance in the 1993 monologue The Chameleon (A Camaleoa).

Betty Faria adapted the scripts into a sophisticated Brazilian version. The actress selected the most important names in the Brazilian theatre to direct the three tragicomedies into which the play is divided:

Flavio Marinho directs The Interview (A Entrevista) by David Mamet, where Antonio Pedro plays a dead lawyer who is submited to a interview in Hell, by the assistant of the Devil, played by by Claudio Marzo; Marcus Alvisi is the director of In Some Place Inside of this Vast World (Em Algum Lugar Neste Vasto Mundo), which deals with the disturbing relationships between two couples in a typical Woody Allen universe. Includes a special appearance by actresses Alexandra Marzo and Totia Meirelles.

Betty Faria portrays Dorothy, a suicidal prostitute in By the Skin of My Teeth (Por um Fio) by Elaine May. Gilberto Gawronski directs.

A Case of Life or Death opened at The Quatro Theatre in Rio de Janeiro on January 17. The performances are from Thursday to Saturday - 9PM; Sunday - 8PM. The tickets cost R$20,00-R$25,00-R$30,00.

--By Nertutila Achao

Brazil Correspondent