"A story, a story!" cries the Griot. "Gather 'round, and I will tell you a tale of greed, and sacrifice, high finance, love, goats, and the terrible curse that tore our little village apart.. the evil, magical spell of... Credit! It all began at the wedding of Filije and Jeneeba! Filije was a fine man, who only wanted the best for his new bride. So when a mysterious Old Woman offered him a loan against Jeneeba's dowry goat - with low, low interest - he thought it was a wonderful shortcut to the prosperity he knew they deserved. Who could he have guessed that the Old Woman was actually a Demon casting a Spell of Debt! Or that one missed payment would mean a repossessed goat? And so, with their future - and marriage - in jeopardy, Filije must begin an epic journey: through the Land of Privatization, over the Sea of Acquisition, facing demon after demon as he tries to cancel his debt, and get his goat back. But each struggle takes him one step closer to... Corporate Headquarters, and the Greatest demon of them all!"

"Meanwhile, Jeneeba is trying to warn the rest of the village about the Old Woman's evil Spell! But Credit Debt is already ensaring them all, as they use their new Plutonium Cards to buy whatever their hearts desire! Can Jeneeba save the village from the Spells of the mindless consumerism the Old Woman is casting? Can Filije recover the dowry goat from clutches of a heartless bottom line? And can the new couple find a way to challenge a system of evil magic that seems created to cause misery, or is the whole Cruel Credit Conjuration... Too Big To Fail?

"Anyone concerned about the state of global politics--and about the state of political humor--should listen to the Mime troupe's message."––The New York Times

Performance Resources:
Show Synopsis
San Francisco Mime Troupe
Video
Too Big to Fail music excerpt

 

In collaboration with the Department of Theatre.
Sponsored by the Cromer/Flory Artist-in-Residence Endowment.