Review: Mistero Buffo

Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo
Stage Left Productions

Lying on a bench in the middle of the city, a hobo suddenly wakes up to find himself covered in newspapers with an audience in front of him. Surrounding him is a view of the harbour and a bit of sheet metal as a shelter.

The man awakes and in a gesture of hospitality and explanation, explains his story. It is a beautiful story of building a life, finding a bit of land, marrying and having children. It is also a story of losing it all, despite the advice he receives from those he trusts.

Initially written as a monologue, the play is part story telling with crowd scenes, part anecdote with performers Myles Pollard and Douglas Blaikie taking on all of the characters.

In many ways, the plays is as much about the fair go as any Australian bush yarn, but Mistero Buffo (Comic Mystery) is unmistakeably European. The reason for this is that central to how Fo writes stories is reminiscent of the travelling troupes of players that would travel around Europe delivering their simple tragic-comedy stories.

The appeal of course is that these troupes of players would thumb their nose at the establishment, at the church and at the land-owners – which fits neatly in his distrust of their descendents in 20th Century Europe.

This is one of the better productions of Fo I have seen in Sydney for a long time because it avoids playing the comical, comically – always the pitfall for many. It also embraces the ancient art of performing Commedia del Arte in a subtle and beautiful way and is technically unobtrusive. However, it could dive into the play far more and deliver the tragedy with more Italian-like chest beating and even more heart wrenching sincerity.

Belvoir Street Downstairs
Until April 13
$23-29
www.belvoir.com.au
02 9699 3444