THE LAST BUFFOON
In El último bufón [The last buffoon] the comedian of Italian descent Leo Bassi goes over his 40 years of theatrical experience through a discovery made by Leo’s sister, Joanna, in the archives of the Lumière Foundation in Lyon, France. In May 1896, the Lumière Brothers filmed his great-grandfather Giuseppe and his uncle Giorgio when they were both working at Circo Rancy in Lyon. They are invaluable recordings, probably the first motion images of clowns in history, taking us back to a time when Europe still had all its innocence and was eager to live.
From these films, Bassi puts on stage a show that is both intense and amusing, where he analysis the “lost Paradise” of the world of buffoons, with a comicalness that differs from the ironic and cynical humour of current comedians. Leo Bassi is a descendent of an old lineage of eccentric comedians and circus clowns who come from France, England, Austria and Poland. The family has performed for 170 uninterruptedly.
He has inherited from them not only his amazing skills –he is a superb expert feet juggler, but also has a libertarian, irreverent and cosmopolitan spirit, the very essence of 19th century circus.
This performance is part of the programme shared by Festival de Tenerife the XII Festival Internacional Clownbaret FIC, thus bringing this show to the Canaries for the first time.