Mistero Buffo
A Visual adaptation of Dario Fo's 'Mistero Buffo'
Dario Fo wrote and performed Mistero Buffo as a history of the Comic Mysteries of the Middle Ages. These plays were performed by and for the 'common people', using religious stories and symbols they highlighted themes such as gluttony and hypocrisy, which existed within upper classes and religious institutions. The drunkard seen throughout this adaptation is the common man who is judged by a self-righteous angel for purely wanting to enjoy life. The drunk himself believes that if man was put on earth by a higher power, then the higher power would have wanted man to enjoy life. The drunk sees gluttony and greed in the upper classes, is exploited by his own boss and tortured by a power crazy pope. As in Fo's play, Christ appears in this adaptation - not as a God like Symbol, but a positive life affirming symbol who cares for and assists the drunk in his times of need.
Directed/Adapted/Performed by: Ramesh Meyyappan
Lighting Design: Justin Breman
Was nominated for a Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards (2003) for Best Actor in 'Mistero Buffo'.
“…a captivating work of movement theatre…alternately strange, beautiful, slapstick dance in the swamp of self-righteous moral hypocrisy… a riveting performer who manages to move between the arabesque and the grotesque”
– Citypaper Baltimore January 2008
“….a graceful performance…”
– The Baltimore Sun January 2008
"A beautiful and sensitive version of Dario Fo's Mistero Buffo..." The Sunday Times (UK)
"Ramesh's brand of physical theatre is refreshingly eclectic, one that not only borrows from the gags of silent movies, but updates the acrobatic agility of the lazzi in Commedia dell'arte." Arts Magazine, Singapore
"It leaves one wondering why Fo needed words in the first place." Noises Off (UK)
"An adult craftsman with impeccable comic timing and a charisma that allows him to fill the stage as well as wrap himself around you like an old friend." Flying Inkpot, (Singapore).
"Ironically, I'm at a loss for words when having to describe Meyyappan's visual adaptation of Fo's 'Comedic Mysteries.' One man, one body, one remarkably expressive face and a viola! Meyyappan's physical storytelling is a visual treat and the unlikely task of maintaining the several individual characters who interact with one another seems, for him, like child's play." ThreeWeeks - Edinburgh, Scotland
"funny, warm and intelligent example of the potential of visual storytelling."- Munira Mirza from Culture Wars
Toured: Vienna Salzburg Graz Klagenfurt Scarborough Liverpool London Manchester Edinburgh Washington D.C Stockholm Singapore
