Award-Winning Rhum + Clay Revive Mistero Buffo

The award-winning adaptation of Dario Fo’s modern masterpiece Mistero Buffo will return to  London this autumn to kick off the new season at Pleasance Theatre London. Rhum + Clay’s  version of Mistero Buffo remains timelier than ever. A physically impressive feat of solo  storytelling and clowning, it features over one hundred characters in subversive versions of  ancient tales, resulting in a rallying cry for the exploited and the disenfranchised. This  contemporary adaptation of Fo’s controversial work centres around a travelling storyteller who  appears as a Deliveroo driver, taking a moment between shifts to deliver a daring swipe at  established power.

This is a bold and modern retelling of Dario Fo’s production, with additional writing by Julian  Spooner and Nicholas Pitt, that speaks to the societal concerns of today. Mistero Buffo takes the  form of a series of short stories that riff off biblical events and figures to satirise existing power  structures and the wider political landscape. The stories are mischievous celebrations of the  best and worst of humanity, the epic seen through the eyes of the ordinary; and the magic and  mundanity of witnessing a miracle. Dario Fo’s original production was fiercely political and built  to reach everyone; from those in striking car factories to football stadiums and was  subsequently banned by the Catholic Church citing it to be ‘The most blasphemous work in  Italy’s history’.

The production was co-created by Rhum + Clay’s Julian Spooner (Moby Dick, The Barbican; The  War of the Worlds, New Diorama Theatre; Project Dictator, New Diorama Theatre) and director  Nicholas Pitt (Seeds(podcast and stage),No Stone Theatre; Don’t Look Away,NOAVE  Theatre; Of Mice and Men,Birmingham REP). Nicholas and Julian’s original production

premiered in 2018, with Julian winning The Stage Award for Acting during the Edinburgh Fringe  run that year.

Creatives on the project also include Designer Emily Bates (The House, Netflix; Barbie,Warner  Bros.; Wicked, Universal Pictures), Lighting Designer Geoff Hense (Testosterone,New Diorama  Theatre; 64 Squares, UK Tour), Music and Sound Designer Jon Ouin (Stornoway; Seeds,UK Tour;  Voyager,New Diorama Theatre) and Stage Manager Lauren Wedgeworth (The House With the  Chicken Legs, UK Tour; Project Dictator, New Diorama Theatre).

Co-creators of Mistero BuffoJulian Spooner and Nicholas Pitt, comment, We’re so excited to  come back to this piece now, three years after its last tour and 7 years after we originally created  it. The world seems even more febrile now; a second Trump presidency bringing global  turbulence, the unending horrors of Gaza and Ukraine, the threat to democracy from tech  oligarcs… feels like a good time to bring back a show that is full of riotous anger and satirical  humour taking swipe at those in power.  

This is an empty space production; Julian Spooner is the sole performer and architecture in  space, conjuring people, places and things with just his body. We’re asking the audience to  suspend their disbelief, to believe in something they cannot see, to have faith in the  performance. There is something beautiful and communal in the experience of this performance,  we’re hoping we can bring people active hope, respite in laughter and maybe fire them up a bit  too. 

Having been shown across the UK, France and Australia, the powerful production has been  further adapted for 2025 to better respond to the ever-changing political climate, bringing fresh  dynamism for its run at Pleasance Theatre in London.

Previous praise for Mistero Buffo:

Magnificent production… with an astounding performance– ★★★★★ The Stage A shapeshifting, body-popping, mesmerising performance– ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage Spooner tackles a huge cast of characters… with astonishing sharpness and clarity– ★★★★ The  Guardian

Main Image: MISTERO BUFFO, Photo by Luke Forsythe

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