cover image Telecomedia y Otras Teatreces

Telecomedia y Otras Teatreces

Leo Masliah. De La Flor, $19 (239pp) ISBN 978-950-515-184-4

An Uruguayan singer-songwriter and author (Carta a un escritor latinoamericano [Letter to a Latin American Writer], De la Flor, 2000), Masliah presents his latest three theatrical pieces. Unlike the more intellectual work by Uruguayan authors known in the United States Juana de Ibarbourou and Mario Benedetti, for instance these are light, situational stories that can be either read or performed, since they primarily consist of dialog. The first and longest piece, ""Telecomedia,"" received Uruguay's Premio Nacional de Literatura for the comedy category. In it, Masliah mixes the stories of maids, teenagers, and the teenagers' parents, producing a comedy full of misunderstandings and melodrama. In ""Bulimia,"" the author mocks those who are obsessed with dieting, turning this dreadful illness into an absurd and humorous condition. The final piece, ""Chanel No. 5,"" revolves around a police mystery and the incompetence of the officers trying to solve it. All these pieces have been performed in Masliah's native Uruguay. They contain much of the particular urban sassiness and style that distinguishes Montevideo and Buenos Aires from other South American capitals. Masliah's vocabulary is not overly regional, except for certain phrases that belong to a stereotypical South Cone middle-class milieu. Recommended for libraries, especially those in schools interested in performing short, contemporary plays in Spanish. Catherine Rendon, Savannah, GA