Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Napoli Milionaria!, Eduardo De Filippo’s comic masterpiece, begins previews today, marking its first Stratford presentation. Directed by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, the production opens on August 17 at the Avon Theatre.
In this sparkling and warm-hearted comedy, in a new English-language version commissioned by the Festival from Canadian playwright John Murrell, based on a literal translation by Donato Santeramo, a Neapolitan family prospers from the black market during the Second World War. But even as the money flows, community ties are tested and a moral price must be paid.
The family is headed by Gennaro and Amalia, played by Tom McCamus and Brigit Wilson. The cast also features Michael Blake as Errico, Shruti Kothari as Maria Rosaria, Tom Rooney as Riccardo Spasiano, André Sills as Brigadiere Ciappa and Johnathan Sousa as Amedeo.
The creative team includes Designer Julie Fox, Lighting Designer Michael Walton and Sound Designer Thomas Ryder Payne.
“Many years ago, I read and fell in love with Napoli Milionaria!,” says Cimolino, who has a great passion for De Filippo’s work, having directed Richard Monette in Filumena in 1997. “At a quick glance, it may appear to be just a black market comedy; but even taken as such, it is evident that this is a work with a deeply moral purpose. Written in wartime about wartime, it examines the impact of corruption and dislocation on a family and, by extension, a community.
“When I first read it, I suspected it would be difficult for an audience today to understand the world of Naples in 1942-1944. But the events of recent years – among them, the Arab Spring and the ongoing crisis in Syria – have made me feel otherwise. The spark that ignited the Arab Spring was the self-immolation of a young street vendor in Tunisia in protest against the corruption and cruelty of government officials. Like the Italian fascist regime of the first act of Napoli Milionaria!, the Tunisian government had created a world in which honesty was rewarded with poverty and humiliation.
“Despite his play’s serious subject matter, De Filippo has an eye for the absurd and the comic in the direst of situations. In his world view, it seems the essence of being human is a frailty that creates, in equal measure, both tragedy and comedy. His examination of social issues isn’t driven by a political, philosophical or religious agenda. His focus is on the personal and its connections to the community. What is our personal responsibility to care for our children, our friends and our neighbours?”
Napoli Milionaria! opens on August 17 and runs until October 27 at the Avon Theatre.
Production support is generously provided by Bob & Martie Sachs.
Support for the 2018 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by the Birmingham family.
Napoli Milionaria! at the Forum
The Forum is a series of events, such as exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, music and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2018 playbill.
• DESPERATE TIMES, DESPERATE MEASURES
In Napoli Milionaria!, the family’s matriarch, Amalia, puts their fortunes in the Italian black market in order to survive. What are the economic impacts of war on the state and on citizens? Who walks away with the payload? Antoni Cimolino moderates a panel discussion with guests Brian Orend, of the University of Waterloo, and Donato Santeramo, dramaturge and translator.
• IDEAS AT STRATFORD: FREEDOM FROM WANT
Since the 19th century, rich nations have been giving aid to poor nations, but a struggle has emerged over the goal. What is the purpose of aid? Who benefits in the end? And how and where can we make aid more effective? Journalist, documentary filmmaker and human rights activist Sally Armstrong and James Orbinski, humanitarian advocate and former president of Doctors Without Borders, consider these questions in a candid panel discussion moderated by Paul Kennedy, host of CBC’s Ideas.
Benedict Cumberbatch narrates this film based on the remarkable memoir of British soldier Norman Lewis, who entered Naples as part of an invasion of Nazi-occupied Italy. Naples ’44 is a haunting evocation of a ravaged land, and a city of infinite charm.
The Stratford Festival’s 2018 season runs until November 11, featuring The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, The Music Man, The Rocky Horror Show, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, An Ideal Husband, To Kill a Mockingbird, Napoli Milionaria!, Brontë: The World Without and Paradise Lost. For tickets and more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
Photo: Brigit Wilson and Tom McCamus. ©2018 Clay Stang.
2018-08-02
Stratford: Previews for "Napoli Milionaria!" begin today