In the play, a clutch of buffoons direct their unbridled energies into a revisitation of this quest, searching ruthlessly for the city of El Dorado, its secrets and treasures.
Buffoons are fantastical, irreverent creatures, derived from the outcasts of medieval society.
Unattached to society's boundaries, they mock humanity's follies and obsession with power. Much like the traditional court jester, buffoons play at humanity, mocking our follies, casting knowing glances at our obsession with power. With El Dorado , UMO Ensemble brings this highly engaging, acrobatic and colorful form of theatre to North America. Through the dark humor, live music, stylized text and fantastical images of Buffoon Theatre, UMO Ensemble's El Dorado reveals the spirit of conquest and domination that has flavored the European settling of the Americas for five centuries. Five grotesque creatures explode from the shadows, ricocheting around the stage to eerie percussive music played by a loincloth-wearing gimp.