Heroes get all the glory, but what about the family they leave behind? A mask theater show
Heroes get all the glory, but what about the family they leave behind?In a quiet hospital room, a son reads to his dying father — and the myth of Hercules slowly comes to life.Through mask theatre, one performer slips between three characters: the larger-than-life hero, his starry-eyed son, and his forgotten wife. Using dynamite voice and movement the story unfolds with humour, heartache, and surprising tenderness.Rather than celebrating Hercules’ legendary feats, this intimate 45-minute solo show reveals the messy humans and the cost of greatness. Hulu’s the son waits and hopefully dreams to one day reach the heroic heights of his dad’s legend. But finds a messy truth hitting home hard. The boy is focused to make the unbearable choices, to end the suffering by letting go of dad.The masks were crafted by French artist Solène Maureau. First the design is created in clay, a plaster mold is then made and from that the mask is created with papier-mâché. Finally after a coat of paint we have a mask that changes expressions depending on lights angles and breaths with theatrical life. Devised in Berlin, co-created with Italian director Francesco Procopio and performed by Angus Temrak; an Aussie actor who studied in Italy the mask theatre style.,Son of Hercules blending sharp dad jokes with profound emotion asks what we owe our parents — exploring the messy families from from modern day to to ancient times.This show makes ancient myth feel startlingly close to home.
