The Footsbarn Theatre, which in the past brought to India plays like Romeo And Juliet and Oddyseus, comes with The Man Who Laughs based on Victor Hugo’s eponymous novel, a play that does not match the energy or excellent style of their earlier works. It is a laboured work that was unfortunately mounted on the cramped stage of the Baha’i Lotus Temple, making it appear contrived and awkward.
Presented by the Alliance Francaise, in collaboration with the French embassy, the production is well-acted by the cast of players that includes Anne de Broca (French actress), Joe Cunningham (UK actor), Vincent Gracieux (French actor), Paddy Hayter (UK actor), Mas Soegang (Indonesian actor), Akemi Yamouchi (Japanese actress) and some technicians and musicians who helped in the action.
The artistic director of the company is Paddy Hayter who also played the title role. An accomplished actor he managed to convey the tragedy of a man, who at the behest of the British monarch James II is transformed from a normal child to a maniacal grinning face, a permanent rectus grin, by the surgeon Dr Hardquannone.
The son of a nobleman, Gwynplaine is then abducted by a gang of “comprachios” headed by the surgeon, and later abandoned on the Cornish coast. The fleeing “comprachios” caught in a snowstorm decide to write the story of the origin of “the man who laughs” which they put into a bottle and cast it into the sea. While roaming around in the snowstorm Gwynplaine, finds a just-born abandoned baby girl, the blind Dea. They chance upon the speaking wolf, Homo, who guides him to Ursus the montebanke with a tough exterior but a heart of gold. He is the voice of Victor Hugo in the moralising sermons he gives and statements he makes about this cruel world which discriminates against the poor and favours the rich.
Hugo’s (1802-18950) novel is as relevant today as it was then and as Paddy Hayter said to me after the show, things haven’t changed in all this time. I said in India yes, to which he retorted it’s the same in France, England, Holland, everywhere.
He should know as the Footsbarn is a travelling theatre. It was started in Cornwall in 1971, rehearsing in a barn owned by the foot family, hence the name. In 1984, they went international and travelled the world doing multilingual plays. For instance, the main character in Oddyseus was played by an actor from Kerala where Footsbarn pitched tent for a few months.
In 1991, Footsbarn found a permanent home in a farm in France, La Chausses. In 35 years, the Footsbarn theatre has produced nearly 60 plays. The next production, according to Paddy, will be William Shakespeare’s The Tempest in 2012, preparations for which the group will come to India. Living in France the primary language Footsbarn uses is French. So when asked to stage the play in English, the cast had a tough time translating Hugo and therefore most of The Man Who Laughs was unfortunately in French.
The story is told of how Gwynplaide, Ursus, Homo and Dea earn a living as itinerant troupe of players where Gwynplaide’s face is the centre of attraction and Dea’s excellent acrobatic turns add another dimension to the show. They reach London which is depicted vey dramatically via a series of slides depicting the architectural wonders, finally ending in Buckingham Palace with Queen Anne sitting on a wheelchair. She is played in characteristic rough crude gestures by a man in a mask. The mask, omnipresent in Footsbarn productions, is an important dramatic element which also allows the actors to play many parts.
When Gwynplaide is discovered through the letter in the bottle, Queen Anne decrees that her sister Josianne marry Gwynplaide so that his property is restored to the rightful heir. The talented actress playing Josianne — Anne de Broca I think — on meeting the famous man who laughs is brilliant in her depiction of contradictory emotions of attraction and repulsion. Another effective scene is where the Peers in the House of Lords mock Gwynplaide for the speech he gives warning the peers of their own destruction if they continued to oppress the poor. Finally, Gwynplaide runs away and manages to board the boat, taking his beloved Dea and Ursus banished from London.