GARDINER — Michael Cooper will be performing “The Masked Marvel” at Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center, 280 Water St., at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 25. Doors will open at 5:30.
Cooper is a Poet of the Stage — an eye-popping visual artist and a virtuoso mime whose exquisite performances of humor and poignancy, nimble speech and eloquent gesture have dazzled audiences of all ages for almost 30 years.
Combining the mythical and the autobiographical, Cooper’s one-man extravaganza features his breathtaking handcrafted masks, original stories of courage and wonder, outlandish stilt dancing and a physical repertoire that ranges from the madcap to the sublime. The result is “moving sculpture.”
Cooper has the amazing ability to inspire his audience, to convince all those who witness his work, that creativity is not the domain of a lucky few but instead is a birthright, one of the great joys encoded into the human package.
How? By showing everyday occurrences like a baby crawling or a horse breaking into a gallop for what they really are — miraculous. By a display of timeless archetypes, like wandering giants and rising suns that would exist in our minds even if we had never heard of them. By joyfully parading everything from exploding noses to slick fish and snorting bulls in front of his audience. And by getting people up on stage, not to be parrots or fools, but to discover the joy of living in the moment.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for youth. Tickets are available at Johnson Hall’s box office from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or at 207-582-7144 or www.johnsonhall.org.
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