Dario Fo, the Italian comedian and playwright, whose hilarious Accidental Death of an Anarchist … savages the brutality of the Italian police, uses the clown's hijinks to do gorgeous battle with officialdom….
As a clown and an activist, Fo has discovered in farce a strategy for emotionally detaching both audience and actors from the tragic issues his plays debate. "In farce," he says, "you have the possibility of going beyond the character. You can comment on the situation while you're in it." Political laughter wants to disenchant; and farce's artificiality keeps the audience from being spellbound. The play becomes not only a criticism of life but of theatre.
This is a free excerpt of 107 words. There are 564 words (approx.
2 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Fo, Dario 1929–: Critical Essay by John Lahr Access Pass.
