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A fabulously entertaining production by a highly talented ensemble that disruptively redefines comedia dell’arte for the modern day. It’s to die for.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Death awaits us all. Here at the Coronet Theatre in the ‘dead centre’ of Notting Hill, he sits amongst us on a simple park bench, centre stage. In slacks and a comfortable old cardigan, he’s the image of domestic normality. His one outstanding feature is a grotesquely malformed, skeletal head – a full mask that conceals the humanity of the actor beneath.
Sulla Morte Senza Esagerare translates as “On Death Without Exaggeration” and this production certainly explores humanity in all its forms from a plain, distinctly quotidian perspective. Using only a simple set and a handful of props, it is nonetheless an extraordinary, hugely entertaining show that disruptively redefines features of commedia dell’arte in a refreshingly contemporary performance.
We meet a selection of stock characters, all shrouded in quirky masks that burst with character. Each is an ordinary yet meticulously observed figure from modern society. Yet in Death’s waiting room these usually unremarkable people are offered an instance of celebration before they pass through to the afterlife.
It’s a performance that skilfully stirs up every emotion in its spectators. It teems with laugh out loud comedy, from the attempted suicide victim dancing with Death using his own rope, to the Deliveroo boy filming inappropriately on his phone; and there are some seriously funky dance moves throughout that will have you cackling. But as the audience engages with these fleeting, diverse stories, we are also asked to consider a multiplicity of other relationships with Death, in poignant moments that bring a tear to the eye. As an old man passes over, his mask is removed – a release from age and weariness, revealing beautiful youth and vigour still beneath. We recognise the woman who lives alongside Death, with her drip on a stand, leaning in to him for comfort, and also the tarty girl who is, in her last moments, seen with respect and made welcome. And then there’s the soldier whose encounter with Death is swift but gratefully embraced. They are all granted a uniquely personal recognition that they may never have known in the land of the living, leaving the audience deeply moved and reflective.
Death is a wonderfully surreal and funny character who, whilst he waits, repeatedly sticking a cigar in his eye socket yet is never able to light it. The Grim Reaper’s hood is a uniform that he picks up and puts down, and is able to pass on to his replacement when he himself plans to cross over. His work is shown as technical and repetitive through practice, from ringing an invisible bell to raising a chorus of funereal music, and he even requires the services of an angelic engineer when he breaks the system. It is, then, through the human individuals that he encounters that the magic and mystery of his work is so effectively revealed to us.
The physical theatre of the cast (Giovanni Longhin, Andrea Panigatti, Sandro Pivotti, Matteo Vitanza) is utterly fabulous, as they transform from character to character, with each performer playing multiple parts and demonstrating impeccable timing, under innovative and precise direction from Richardo Pippa. As the masks are laid out for all to see at the end of the night I counted at least ten characters. Equally surprising was the revelation that they had all been convincingly played by men – including the women!
Italian company Teatro dei Gordi have created a real gem with Sulla Morte that speaks of our human state beyond any language. It is a marvellous, uplifting production by a highly talented ensemble that I am simply dying to see again! Bravi tutti!
Produced by: Teatro dei Gordi/ Teatro Franco Parenti
Creator and director: Riccardo Pippa
Set design, masks & costumes by: Ilaria Ariemme
Lighting design by: Giuliano Bottacin
Lighting and Sound design by: Alice Colla
Sound design by: Luca De Marinis
Sulla Morte Senza Esagerare plays at the Coronet Theatre until Saturday 13 May. Further information and bookings here.
