MISTERO BUFFO
Pleasance Theatre
★★★★
“full of turns and surprises”
Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s Mistero Buffo is a synthesis of satirical stories that transport you to a biblical time of miracles, resurrections and brutality. A highly controversial piece of theatre that was first adapted by Rhum + Clay in 2018 and returns to London to give voice to those who have been repressed, wronged and slaughtered in the name of religion, money and justice. This is an incredible one-man show that will blow your mind.
The show incorporates stories like The Birth of the Jongleur, The Slaughter of the Innocents, The Marriage at Canaan and The Resurrection of Lazarus. Interesting choices that balance between monologue-specific storytelling and more character heavy one, so the audience’s engagement never waivers. The narrator jumps in and out of these stories that have different backdrops, time periods and character, but all taking place during Jesus Christ’s life and all sharing the same element of hilarious blasphemy. Jesus has an American accent, Mary gets drunk and parties, angels threaten to use violence. And they reveal how truth has many faces, all of which can and will be manipulated.
Julian Spooner, who is the only cast member and also one of the creators of this adaptation, is a machine that never stops delivering. His attention to detail, the variety of the characters he brings to life, his impeccable, clowning-inspired physicality are only some aspects that make his performance remarkable. But best of all, the energy he brings onstage from the second he steps in the auditorium. He interacts effortlessly with the audience, makes you feel like he’s performing just for you, like he lets you in a world of endless possibilities. There’s enjoyment in his craft and this evident joy spreads like an invisible mist around the audience members.
Director Nicholas Pitt takes on a particularly challenging feat, managing to create a bold, yet playful retelling of Mistero Buffo. The collaboration between Pitt and Spooner is nothing short of a success. The pacing is also extraordinary, full of turns and surprises, with the right amount of moments that slow down and let you digest what you’ve seen before being taken back into the whirlwind of Spooner’s performance.
The stage remains bare, without any set, which is not an issue mainly because of the nature of Spooner’s constant movement. Lighting designer Geoff Hense, along with music and sound designer Jon Ouin, combine their strengths to provide some help in terms of scene changes, tone setting and transitions from one story to the next, with some impressively accurate, comedy-enhancing cues. Though, to be honest, Spooner’s acting is so to the point that the audience would be able to tell between all those changes anyway.
Though the comedy of the stories is very strong, the jokes landing, the characters hilarious and the modern touches effective, there is also an ominous side in Fo’s writing that is not quite present in this production. The Italian playwright was known for going against the established and showing his audience that the truth is more than what we’re being fed by those who are in power. These stories are a punch in the face of authority. This production leans a lot on the satire and humour, but it doesn’t use it for any relevant commentary of what’s happening in our day and time. The rebellious layer of what Fo really stood for remains somewhat buried.
For those who don’t normally appreciate one person shows, Mistero Buffo will make you reconsider.
MISTERO BUFFO
Pleasance Theatre
Reviewed on 26th September 2025
by Stephanie Christodoulidou
Photography by Luke Forsythe
Previously reviewed at this venue:
THE LAST INCEL | ★★★ | May 2025
THE SIMPLE LIFE & DEATH | ★★★★★ | November 2024
16 POSTCARDS | ★★★ | October 2024
GIRLS REALLY LISTEN TO ME | ★★★★ | May 2024
GISELLE: REMIX | ★★★★★ | April 2024
GWYNETH GOES SKIING | ★★★ | February 2024
