Faustworking

Back in 1509 Erasmus described life as a sort of comedy in which we mortals play our parts disguised by costumes and masks. Four hundred and fifty years later sociologist Erving Goffman wrote a book which demonstrated this idea in action. On Friday night I trekked downtown to the Overture Center for a night of entertainment by Faustwork Mask Theatre. While the performance took the theatrical metaphor seriously, it didn't take it too seriously.



The show turned out to be a solo outing with the Faustwork's founder, Robert Faust, doing The Mask Messenger. The spartan set consisted only of a large table clad in black littered with masks and a solitary chair to its side. Faust took center stage and introduced himself and the show which was a series of vignettes that added up to Masks 101.

Throughout the night Faust talked with reverence about masks. This should be no surprise as, not only does he perform with them, but he has also been making them for many years. I highly suspect he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. At one point he noted how they are used ceremonially in parts of Africa and at another quoted such luminaries as Oscar Wilde who perceived them to be vehicles for truth in that we feel able to speak more freely when our faces are hidden. Oft repeated was that masks are "magical". But make no mistake – it was not a night of anthropology and sociology lessons. Instead observations about Faust's passion were sprinkled among large doses of folly.



Faust began things with some masks which covered his entire face. Strutting around the stage and taking various poses, he illustrated what we all know but rarely think about consciously – facial expressions and body language work in concert. A mask with a rather neutral face took on sinister tones when Faust moved his arms away from his body and hunched over the audience. But bringing his arms to his chest and turning slightly so that his side was facing us, the mask turned into an almost pitiful expression.

In addition to full masks, Faust also sported Commedia Dell'Arte style half-masks which allowed him to talk. The photo above shows once which I call the ornery football coach mask. Pacing back and forth he'd point at someone in the audience and chastise them. The hat was a mask, of sorts, as well. Faust noted that such quotidian things as make-up and clothing were masks in their own way. They disguise us and carry their own meaning. For instance, it was the hat, I think, that made me think of the football coach. These masks not only let Faust speak but also sing such as when he donned a jacket and Elvis hair and let loose in a Branson-worthy rendition of "All Shook Up". (If memory serves.)



In two or three instances, Faust wore masks on top of his head such as the one above. He would then proceed to crawl about the stage on his hands and feet. He was remarkably dexterous and crawled into the audience several rows deep atop the backs of the seats. In another, he threw on a ballet tutu and placed a mask on the back of his head before proceeding to amuse us all with his graceful movement and occasional checks to make sure the tutu sufficiently covered his derriere. Before the show ended, a couple audience members got a chance to go onstage and don masks themselves.

It was an incredibly entertaining night with some food for thought thrown in for good measure. If the clapping and laughing I heard are any indication, then I can only conclude that most of my fellow audience members felt the same way.