The Bourgeois Gentleman by Moliere
| February 28th, 2012 9:00 PM | to | March 4th, 2012 9:00 PM |
By Martina Baldi (University of Florence)
From Tuesday, February 28 to Sunday, March 4, The Bourgeois Gentleman by French comedic playwright Molière will come to the stage. The comédie-ballet, performed for the first time in 1670, will be presented at Teatro della Pergola in Florence. The adaptation and the direction were done by Massimo Venturiello, Italian actor and dubber; acting with him is his companion Tiziana Tosca Donati (alias Tosca), an Italian singer. The two debuted together in April 2011, in this very show, which they will take on tour throughout Italy until 2013, in collaboration with Teatro dell’Aquila of Fermo.
The story is set in Paris, where Mr. Jourdain, a bourgeois, rich thanks to his father, wants to be accepted in society as an aristocrat: he, so as to learn the diverse arts of the noble classes, such as dance, music and philosophy, employs teachers, who remain disgusted by his work. His wife tries to dissuade him, for he is making himself look ridiculous, however, he does not listen to her, even having the absurd idea of marrying his daughter Lucille to a noble. But Lucille and Cleonte, her great love, will not permit this to happen.
The price of the tickets range from 15 euros for the balcony to 30 euros for the seats at stage level. There are reduced tickets for those under 26 years of age, ranging from 11 to 19 euros. The Teatro della Pergola is located on Via della Pergola. For more information, see the theater’s website, http://www.fondazioneteatrodellapergola.it
The show opened with the warm and soft voice of Tosca who, in addition to playing the wife of the bourgeois protagonist of the comedy, exhibited her talent in diverse musical pieces. Her songs were the most important part of this interpretation of the The Bourgeois Gentleman, written by Molière in 1670, for the voice of Tosca is full of tonality, succeeding in transporting the spectator to another world, that which is represented on stage.
Massimo Venturiello, actor and director, decided to set the comedy in Naples, instead of Paris, where the original version takes places. In this way, Venturiello gives a nod to the Neapolitan comedies of the De Filippo brothers, taking certain comical elements from their works, such as phrases in dialect. The choice to combine the already desecrating comedy of Molière with the Neapolitan style is somewhat risky, but, in the end, it is a successful result. The story spans international borders and demonstrates that human nature is always the same, even if one moves from Paris to Naples. Monsieur Jourdain is a bourgeois who is rich thanks to his father, and who now wants to be accepted by society as a nobleman. He therefore decides to learn the arts, such as dance, music, philosophy and fencing, and hires diverse teachers for this reason. Obviously, he does not succeed in excelling in any of these arts, and this provokes the ire of his wife, who tries to dissuade him from continuing his studies, so that he will not do anything else that will encourage the derision of high society. The costumes, designed by Santuzza Calì, highlight the ridiculousness of the characters: one of the most entertaining scenes of the show includes the bourgeois, who puts on a suit that he ordered from the tailor and for which he paid a very high price. In the eyes of the bourgeois, the suit is more than dignified and it inspires respect. To the spectators and to his wife, on the other hand, his appearance is one of a man dressed as a parrot. When his wife sees him, she almost faints, and the only comment that she is able to utter is “What is it? Carnival?” Tosca’s acting is quite excellent: with very few comments, she is able to transmit the image of a strong, practical, and, maybe a little unlearned, woman, but still a very intelligent one.
The comedic effect of the show is enhanced by the original music by Germano Mazzocchetti and by diverse interludes, in which the entire cast takes part, dancing and singing. The only downfall of the show can be found in these dances, for their length distracts the audience’s attention away from the main story, and interrupts their concentration. The play is already very long (it lasts about three hours) and therefore, some of the dances could be shortened.
At the end of the show, during the applause, one can see how much Massimo Venturiello and Tosca enjoy acting in this play, in which they debuted together in April of 2011 and in which they will appear throughout Italy until 2013. Before the definitive closing of the curtains, the cast regales the audience with one last exhibition, singing one of the songs already sung by Tosca, but which is this time, however, performed by a chorus of voices.