Pleasance Theatre – until 11 October 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Rhum + Clay’s production of Mistero Buffo returns to London, performed by the extraordinary Julian Spooner. Dario Fo’s satirical masterpiece is more relevant than ever, as social media and storytelling become weaponised in political and religious power games.
Spooner begins by running around the audience in Deliveroo gear before launching into The Birth of the Jongleur with the gentle melancholy and physicality of a jaded children’s entertainer that makes the tragedy hit hard, swiftly dissipating again when Jesus gives him the gift of storytelling. Jesus sounds and moves like a West Coast hippy and is an absolute hoot. The jongleur then tells more bible stories, from the raising of Lazarus (complete with gruesome description of what the corpse looks like from the rambunctious crowd) to the massacre of the innocents and the crucifixion of Jesus. The changes between intense monologue and multicharacter stories take the audience by surprise each time. Spooner’s brilliant clowning and astonishingly fast switching between characterisations is captivating, whether playing a woman driven mad by the death of her baby or a pushy miracle observer. The brutality and violence of the sacrifices in god’s name is captured effortlessly. The crucifixion is particularly gruelling, with the hammering of the nails inducing winces, even though Spooner is alone on stage with no props. Nicholas Pitt directs skilfully, with Geoff Hense’s Lighting and Jon Ouin’s sound design creating instant changes in mood and tempo, from raves at the wedding at Cana – Jesus’s first miracle which his party-loving mum really enjoyed in this version.
Spooner takes the audience on a thrilling journey through these violent and ridiculous tales from the bible, encouraging different truths to be taken from them than the approved dogma of the church. Mistero Buffo uses the skills of a fantastic storyteller to demonstrate the power of a well told story, to sway an audience. The need to believe in something – anything – and the blurring of truth and fantasy are explored expertly, with modern day parallels immediately and sadly obvious.
A masterclass in thought-provoking storytelling, Mistero Buffo is a must-see production.