The pictures say it all. Life-sized masks, realistic sets: Familie Floz’s Hotel Paradiso looks nothing like a conventional theatre production. And it isn’t one. There are no words, it is masks that are the stars of the production. It was staged for three weeks during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015, and was said to be completely sold out. This is the production’s maiden tour in India.
Hotel Paradiso is set in fictitious Alpine Spa. “There is acting without words. But it’s not different from normal acting. Though there are no words; there is dialogue, which is between bodies, between masks. It is an archetypal world we have created,” says Michael Vogel, the director Hotel Paradiso , said to be the most mysterious play produced by Familie Floz.
Although Alpine Spa seems to be a relaxing getaway, it holds dark secrets. Dreams turn into nightmares as the squabbling staff struggle to keep the business alive, their secrets hidden, and the corpses out of sight!
“There’s no one story,” says Michael over phone. “It’s a sad story, but there are lots of funny stories within it. Hotel Paradiso is run by a family. But things change when the parents die, and the children take over. They fight with each other. And things get quite bloody.” The other characters include a maid who is in the habit of stealing house guest’s valuables, and a cook who chops up more than just pork. The play is steeped in dark comedy that has some vicious moments.
The four characters play a minimum of five characters. Except one actor, all the others change masks. But Michael can’t really tell how many masks there are: “There maybe 15 or 16, I haven’t really counted.” Familie Floz has been in the business of making masks for 20 years. The masks are made of papier mache and acrylic paint. “Masks have their own universe. In Hotel Paradiso , each mask tells its own story.”
Michael was an electrician, but he wasn’t satisfied with what he was doing. He turned to theatre, which was a hobby before he decided to specialise in it. “I was fascinated by masks. I studied physical theatre.” In 1994, he joined Hajo Schuler and Markus Michalkowski, who were students at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, in the Rurh Area of Germany. For ten years, they staged different productions, until 2003, when they established their own company, Familie Floz. Their productions that employ masks, humour, improvisation, mime and physical theatre, have travelled to more than 34 countries.
Hotel Paradiso , presented by AGP World, will be staged at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, on October 31 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.. Tickets are available on www.bookmyshow.com. Watch the trailer on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UudKt1WZ3SM.
