The Virtuous Burglar | Xth Act
The Virtuous Burglar, one of Dario Fo’s famous farces, depicts the aftermath of a burglary and what happens when the situation worsened. Six characters are entangled in a web of matrimonial intrigue in a place they would rather not be.
On a Sunday evening, I found myself in a restaurant front seat, waiting for a theatre production to begin with a small crowd of theatre enthusiasts, while some calm jazz music played in the background.
Lights were dimmed. It started with quiet music and a burglar entering through the wide clear glass doors discreetly with a flashlight in the dark. The set was relatively simple but functional, consisting of only a red sofa, a table, and a rug, and I was surprised to see the clock tower printed on a white paper on a board instead of an actual clock tower furniture.
The play was originally set in in 1950’s London, but had adapted to a more contemporary setting. Director Heidi Manche did an excellent job blocking the performance, especially at the physical comic sequences. The show was light-hearted throughout with numerous amusing moments. The cast performed brilliantly, which brought out the wonderful humour through both physical frolics actions and dialogues. It was delivered with great timing with just the proper amount of playfulness. I enjoyed the characters’ reactions towards each other. It was the intense hilarious moment to moment interactions between the characters that got me hooked.
I found myself giggling at several points throughout the performance. The farce was appealing to the audience. The goofy acts caused a few chuckles. They erupted in laughter when the burglar was discovered. The show also included a few dances moves and musical numbers that nicely complemented the humour, that left everyone on a happy note clasping and cheering.
While the play was primarily blithe, it explored issues of adultery, madness and hypocrisy in marriages and relationships. It made me reflect on human’s behaviours by exposing and mocking the ugliness of lies, pretence and power in society. “Let love be without hypocrisy”. It made me question about morals and the need for two-facedness in real life, as it illustrated in the play when the characters made up a series of ridiculous lies, stacked high with misunderstanding, to conceal the truth of their terrible conducts and to prove their innocence in martial fidelity. It also touched on subjects of gender, sexuality, and class, in which only a wife being able to nag a husband in the 1950s- “Just a kiss?! Do you love me?”. What stood out to me was male actors playing the wives wearing a blonde wig and dress. From my point of view, it reflected a contemporary politically charged topic of cross gender performing as well as a historical instance of history where this occurred in theatre.
With which in mind! Let me do the brazen advertising. Overall, a worth watching production! If you’re looking to be entertained on a weekend, or interested in good acting I can promise you will laugh!
