"Just come and sign on the line..."

     'Mephistopheles' from the musical Life Is Hell!

     Life Is Hell is the story of Mephistopheles (John Brand center floor right), chief used soul-salesman and head of Acquisitions and Creative Development in Hell .  The Depression was his idea.  It's Monday, in 1938, quota day in Hell, and he and his cohorts, the Seven Deadly Sins, (shown from left to right) Greed (Joe Morgan), Anger (Travis McElroy), Sloth (Joe Libby shown, also played by Gary Sartor) Pride (Kathy Feinstein), Lust (Louisette Zurita), Envy (Mary Lou Hymel) and Gluttony (Sharon Beales), haven't signed a single soul.  So they get called into Lucyfer''s (Mary Bowlin-Brand) (yes, the devil is a woman) office who informs them they have one last chance.  They will sign the soul of a down-and-out crooner, Joshua Hope (played by Mark Hicks (shown in plaid) or face getting 'fired'; a fate noone in Hell wants.  So Meph and his crew go to New York City to sign the singer but find their job isn't as easy as it first seemed.  Rounding out the cast were Amy Sloan (As Joshua's love interest, Kate Fitzgerald) and Debbie Bashom-Burns, Wendy Ngyuen, and Claire Peters who gave wonderful character performances in several different roles.

     Note:  All characters, plots and ideas in this musical are protected by law and  are property of Mary Brand. 

     Any attempt to copy this work is

a really bad idea. 

     "'Hell' is cleverly-constructed"

Diane Windeler, San Antonio Express-News

     "Producer of 'Life' works like the devil"

Deborah Martin, San Antonio Express-News

     "'Life Is Hell' Puts The Music In Musical"

Laurie Dietrich, San Antonio Current

Want to see what one critic thought of our show?  Read all about it! 

     In the summer of 2002 I began a journey that would take me from my comfort zone of performing other people's work to creating my own show.  It was a challenge to say the least.  I wrote the book, lyrics and composed the songs for a full-length musical entitled Life Is Hell!  A Faust-Free frolic that turned the idea of buying and selling souls into an actual business.  With the help of my parents, my husband John in the lead role, and my very supportive friends in the theatre community it became a reality.  Luckily enough I found a very good arranger, Roger Underwood, to make the songs sound out loud the way they did in my head; all eighteen of them!

     Joe Libby was gracious enough to aid me in co-directing this show, while Louisette Zurita became my dance captain for choreography I devised.  Dad built the sets and props while all of us pitched in where we could to get the show up and running on time.  When I wasn't in the theatre I was typing my fingers numb on Ebay or other sites to get costume pieces that my mother couldn't provide.  She sewed a lot of the costumes and gifted John with his zoot-suit for the previous Christmas.  Way to go Mom!