Between Laughter and Jealousy: Goldoni's "The Lovers" at the Cine Teatro Rex

The theatrical season “Kallipolis”, directed by Alfio Zappalà, organized by ArchiDrama, with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Giarre, continues successfully. The historic and renovated Cine Teatro Rex di Giarre - from Friday, March 20 to Sunday, March 22 (Friday afternoon at 6:00 PM; Saturday afternoon at 5:30 PM and evening at 8:30 PM; Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM) - hosts the show “Gli innamorati” by Carlo Goldoni with Claudio Casadio directed by Roberto Valerio, who also worked on the adaptation. “Look at yourselves, young people, in these Lovers that I present to you; laugh at them, and do not let them laugh at you”. With these words, Goldoni introduces, magnificently summarizing its essence, his timeless comedy in three acts (dated 1759).

Engaging the plot: two young lovers (Eugenia and Fulgenzio) show us how a sweet, clear, and unpretentious love can transform into wild jealousy for no reason: from this arise a series of petty revenge, furious arguments, alternating with sweet reconciliations and languid desires. The universal and contemporary theme continues to decree the success of this theatrical work. Goldoni enriches the story of the two young lovers by inserting a magnificent gallery of characters that complicate the narrative with continuous intrusions and unsolicited advice. The absolute champion in creating chaos and tangled dramatic paths is Fabrizio (Eugenia's uncle), a magnificent mask of a chatterbox, good-natured liar who exalts and glorifies everyone around him, bringing hilarity both on and off the stage. “With a contemporary set design and modern costumes, a dry, direct, no-frills show is born, mixing lightness, laughter, moments of great comedy with dark atmospheres to represent a love more violent than all others; a show in which Theater and the magnificent theatrical machine invented by the greatest Italian playwright triumphs, capable with a text written in 1759, of still speaking today to the people seated in the audience,” declares Roberto Valerio. The scenes will be animated by actors and characters (in the photos by Filippo Venturi), with Claudio Casadio (Fabrizio): Loredana Giordano (Flamminia, Fabrizio's niece, widow); Valentina Carli (Eugenia, Fabrizio's niece); Leone Tarchiani (Fulgenzio, Eugenia's lover); Maria Lauria (Lisetta, maid); Lorenzo Carpinelli (Roberto, gentleman); Damiano Spitaleri (Tognino, servant); Alberto Gandolfo (Ridolfo, Fabrizio's friend and Clorinda, Fulgenzio's sister-in-law).

These are the scheduled appointments for “Kallipolis” at the Cine Teatro Rex (showtimes: Friday afternoon at 6:00 PM - Saturday afternoon at 5:30 PM; Saturday evening at 8:30 PM - Sunday afternoon at 5:30 PM): on May 14, 15, 16, 17 – Pippo Pattavina in “The Pleasure of Honesty” by L. Pirandello, directed by G. Ferro. These are the scheduled appointments at the Cine Teatro Garibaldi (showtimes: afternoon at 5:30 PM – evening at 8:30 PM): on March 28* – Mario Incudine in “Archimedes” by C. Di Quattro, directed by A. Pizzech; on May 2 – Gino Astorina in “It's Not True But I Believe It” by P. De Filippo, directed by G. Romania; on May 30 – Eduardo Saitta and Francesca Agate in “The Exchange” by A. Capodici, directed by P. Milazzo.