A month of events at the ‘Campania Festival’ from John Malkovich to the Bourbons

2023-04-27 16:42:30

Part on ‘Campania Theater Festival’ and for a month, from 9 June to 9 July, the 16th edition will be a kaleidoscope of events, with 93 performances for 116 performances, divided into 9 sections, with 57 absolute and 5 national premieres, in 15 locations, between theater and dance, music and literature, as well as special projects. “We will not betray expectations, with big international names, combining art and social function”, underlines the president of the ‘Campania dei Festival’ foundation Alessandro Barbano.

A name for everyone, that of the American actor John Malkovichwho spoke by videoconference from the USA, delighted to debut a Napoli and eager to visit the Teatro San Carlo. And moreover, as the governor of Campania is keen to point out Vincent DeLuca“Campania is the region that invests more than all the others in culture, with funding of 42 million euros a year, although it is certainly not the richest and with a per capita income that is half that of the Lombardy: they are political choices, even ‘bloody’ ones, for which we demand respect, nothing more but also nothing less”.

Roger Hoodartistic director of the ‘Campania Teatro Festival’, states that “I’m not a numerologist and as such I’m not passionate about figures, not even ours, because I’ve always thought that a well-done party is better than a well-filled party. . however by enlarging the shot we can observe how all the other festivals are either thematic or are in great difficulty. And many shows that are ‘christened’ by us then enter the Italian theater circuits”.

warns Hood: “We are witnessing a process of global dehumanization, with a very clear strategy that favors the construction of the consumer over the construction of the citizen, based on the seduction of the market and psychological drug addiction: but money and culture cannot be the same thing. The escape route is the search for elsewhere, which is guaranteed by art, theatre, music as well as literature, philosophy, law. Our spiritual migration is culture, our religion is theatre”.

In the large billboard they stand out among the international guests John Malkovich protagonist with Ingeborga Dapkunaite of the mystery ‘In the solitude of cotton field’ by Koltès in English with Italian subtitles; and the Polish director Kristian Lupa for ‘Capri the island of fugitives’ inspired by ‘Kaputt’ and ‘La pelle’ by Curzio Malaparte.

For national prose, the ‘Circus Don Quixote’ by Roger Hood directed by Antonio Latella; ‘The betrothed to the test’ by Giovanni Testori with John Crippa; the ‘Premiata Pasticceria Bellavista’ by Vincenzo Salemme; ‘The Found Diary’ with Angela Pagano; ‘Napoleon – The Death of God’ by Victor Hugo with Lino Guanciale; ‘A dream in Istanbul’ with Madeleine Crippa and Mario Incudine; ‘Mr. Puntila and his servant Matti’ by Bertolt Brecht with Massimo Venturiello; ‘The imaginary miser’ between Moliere and the De Filippos with Enzo Decaro; ‘Waiting for King Lear’ with Alexander Precious; ‘Peace’ by Aristophanes protagonist Joseph Battiston directed by Daniele Salvo, produced by Inda for the classical cycle at the Greek Theater of Syracuse.

As part of the special projects, the initiative ‘The real dream: i Bourbon of Naples’ from an idea of Roger Hood with Maddalena Crippa, Lino Guanciale, Galatea Ranzi, Gea Martire and Giancarlo Ratti, five actors for five stories. For music, the show by Pepe Servillo ‘Nevica sulla mia mano’ on the friendship between the singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla and the poet Roberto Roversi; ‘Lunaria’ by Vincenzo Consolo in collaboration with the ‘Orestiadi’ of Gibellina; and the mirror game ‘Shostakovich’s glasses’ with Moni Ovadia. Dance, literature, exhibitions and sports complete the range of events.

As per recent but already consolidated tradition, not only Napoli at the ‘Campania Festival’: thus, in addition to the Neapolitan theaters Politeama, Mercadante, Trianon, Nuovo, Sala Assoli, Tan and the Villa Floridiana – which ‘replaces’ the Capodimonte palace undergoing renovation works – they appear on the bill among the various locations also the Roman Theater of Beneventothe Cathedral of Salernothe Villa Campolieto to Herculaneumthe Tobacconist’s Poorthe Colosseum of Baiano, the courtyard of the Museum of Sarno, with Rai media partner.

(Of Enzo Bonaiuto)