Four actors, 25 characters, no words but loads of laughs, “Hotel Paradiso is a fun comedy about the crazy people,” said, Gianni Bettucci, clown manager of Familie Flöz. Unnati Joshi reports
He entered the world of theatre when he was 15 and is in the game ever since. Gianni Bettucci is one of the three directors of Familie Flöz and has been a part of the company for over 15 years. He manages the group and participates in its creative process.
“I worked hard to bring Familie Flöz to India in collaboration with our partners AGP world. I am happy that we are finally here and extremely excited about the forthcoming tour of India,” gushed Gianni.
“At the beginning it was very hard in Germany to reach out to a broad audience and do shows in big theaters with masks. In Germany masks are considered to be a minor genre, like puppetry or children’s theatre. It was very challenging to fight this common perception when I promoted mask theatre as a form of art for adults. I had to use lots of my Italian persuasiveness to convince theatre directors and audiences alike to perform in big theatres. It took a lot of convincing and many shows for people to realise the magic of the masks. I guess we won the challenge,” he added smiling.
The play is a dramatic nightmare steeped in black humour with a hint of melancholy. It is a wordless play where everyone has a secret to hide.
Talking about his experience of theatre and elaborating on his play Hotel Paradiso, he told us, “In Europe, theatre is considered as a hobby. People don’t think theatre artistes need to be rewarded because they have a lot of fun doing what they do. True, it’s a lot of fun, but people just don’t see how much hard work sweat and tears goes behind the production of a good piece of theatre. Hotel Paradiso is a work of art that involves many years of rehearsals and brings together talented performers who toil night and day so that even audiences in India can sit in their chairs and have a good laugh for 90 minutes. So yes, I am all for more respect for the world of performing arts and theatre. I think we deserve it. The play is a fun comedy about the crazy people who work in this old-fashion hotel somewhere in the middle of the Alps, and their encounters with the equally funny guests who expected some days of peace and quiet but instead are plunged in some mad adventures. The dreamy Urs and the modern and arrogant Regina, his sister, fight daily for the control of the hotel. The guests are the victims of this fight. More than 25 different characters and not a single word is spoken.”
Familie Flöz is internationally renowned as one of the world’s leading mask theatre companies. Using over 25 masks the play will showcase humor, improvisation, mime and physical comedy to create a family-friendly show.
Explaining about his experience with the mask theatre he told us, “Mask theatre is a unique experience, almost a magical one! Our expressive masks are fixed, they don’t actually move, how could theyIJ A few seconds after the show begins, something extraordinary happens, these masks start to smile, cry, become sad or get furious. How is it possibleIJ Members of the audience after the performances are sure that our masks did move, but they didn’t. It all happened in the imagination of the audience, a collective imaginative experience so to speak.”
Having worked in a lot of projects already, which is the project he is most proud ofIJ
“This is very difficult to decide. It is like asking to choose who is your favorite son or daughter. Every show by Familie Flöz is very different from one another, each show showcases strong but diverse personalities, but no two shows are alike. Another production by Familie Floz, Infinita is a story about the first and last moments of life, where 4 kids who met at the kindergarten find themselves again in a retirement home where they die. Hotel Paradiso is a story that is extremely hilarious, with lots of gags and bits of poetry thrown in. With Hotel Paradiso I laugh a lot and cry a bit, with Infinita I laugh a bit and cry a lot,” he winked.
There are not many good mask shows around these days and Hotel Paradiso is a great example, so see it while you can.