The Mark of Zorro, Imaginate Festival, Review

Rating (out of 5)
4
Show details
Company
Visible Fictions (Scotland)
Production
Davey Anderson (writer), Dougie Irvine (director), Simon Wilkinson (lighting design), Robin Peoples (designer), David Trouton (composer) Kev Harper (image)
Performers
Denise Hoey, Tim Settle, Neil Thomas
Running time
75mins

In these times of hardship for many, it is rather good to think about the existence of a Champion of the Oppressed. Zorro, meaning ‘fox’ in Spanish, is an early caped and masked super hero character whose claim to fame is just that. With the flick of a whip and the slash of a sword, he rights wrongs by robbing the robbers and returning the stolen dosh to their victims.

Writer Davey Anderson has taken the tale, invented in 1919 by Johnston McCulley, and created an immense comic book style salute to the original form that appeared in a US weekly magazine. Don Diego de la Vega is a fierce young man who is fond of fighting. His father teaches him to fight well but honourably, telling him that justice is more important than vengeance.

Before his father’s murder by two assailants, who turn out to be masked soldiers in his command, he slashes the hand of his killer so he will be recognised. Diego, Zorro’s secret identity, vows to avenge his father’s death by tracking down the man with the slashed hand. Zorro in turn slits his signature Z across his victims’ bodies.

Diego is brought up by the Governor of California at whose home he works as a stable boy and falls in love with the Governor’s daughter, Isabella. The wicked Captain Estefan wants to marry Isabella as he sees her as a means of feeding his megalomania by allowing him to steal the governorship from her father. Adventures abound!

Traverse Bar customers are serenaded troubadour style to a clever punned version of the Proclaimers song Sorrow, with new lyrics of Zorro! Once in Traverse One, spaghetti Western music style music sets the scene for this Californian based tale of Spanish daring do. Throughout, the filmic music and spot on lighting creates the perfect atmosphere.

The code of the comic book is there from the get go with a newspaper stand bearing a CLOZED sign. The clever set is changed with cunning as a 3D comic book effect is created across the show. In sartorially splendid chaps and buttoned flares, complete with beautiful boots (of Spanish leather?) this versatile trio of actors takes on the multiple parts in the mode of recognisable child’s play.

With the sleek swiftness of Zorro himself, Diego (Neil Thomas) goes from stable boy to stallion Zorro, the boy Diego (Denise Hoey ) shifts from fighter to feminine Isabella and gullible Governor (Tim Settle) becoming the evil Estefan with only a glove as a change of costume. Narration and cut out figures manipulated by the cast augment this ingenious, funny production that has some fine swashbuckling fight scenes.

A whipcrackingly good show!

Monday, 13 May 13.30