Leo Bassi, the “philosopher clown”, as he likes to describe himself, is a familiar name to anyone who followed Italian theatre in the Eighties: he is famous for his acts in the street, in discos where he would tackle any topic with iconoclastic force, with a real transgression, of the type that makes you angry, or disgusts you, that conveys instincts or primitive or primeval behaviour. As in all his works, the clowning is combined with juggling and exercises for antipodists while entertaining nonsense is spiced up by very serious political arguments or attacks on the political classes. Utopia is the sum of this poeticism, perhaps the Spanish artist’s most ambitious work, the fruit of a reflection that takes into consideration the forgotten world of the true progressive 19th century utopias which continue to inspire modern left-wing parties, and it describes the lack of passion of a certain type of politics, not only in Spain but all over Europe. The audience will find itself face to face with a clown with a white face, full of authority, intelligence and magic, who knows how to cover the entire monologue with daring comedy, building a bridge between the circus and reality today, and making the performance one step in the eternal struggle between the clown and conformism.
by and with Leo Bassi
Teatro Alfil (Spain – USA)
