A foetus, or something
like a foetus, wrapped in a viscous bag, hanging from a rope suspended across the high
ceiling, slowly moves across the hall under an intense spotlight. Gradually unfolding as
it goes, a man breaks out as it reaches the wall on the other side. A birth, creation,
growth ... The newborn man, naked, crawls down the wall, and in his fury, beats against
it. His flailing arms thrash around, banging so hard on the cold concrete that blood is
splashed, thick and red.
From the back of the
sports hall, someone outside breaks open a hole in the wall wielding an axe. Audience and
actors mingle. This is not the Royal Shakespeare Company on tour, although the essence of
“to be or not to be” lies inherent. Two men in overalls run in clutching flaming
torches and hurl pots of paint at onlookers, now participants. La Fura dels Baus is one
many theatre groups in Spain, injecting new rhythms, sensations and thoughts into the
country’s rapidly changing face and soul.
La Fura dels Baus, a
Catalan “total theatre” group, this is one of their performances. The group has
recently made a film Fausto V, seen worldwide.
