Witamy w Meran i okolicach

Deep in the desolate lands of Hell. A calm and eternal day of agonizing torture. Suddenly, a raucous barking breaks the silence it's the devils, running wildly back and forth in search of their king, the dreadful Satan. Along the banks of the Styx, countless souls have arrived, suddenly swept away by a lightning-fast, murderous, cowardly plague of boils and pox. The underworld is suddenly clogged, and Minos, the merciless judge of souls, must perform superhuman feats to assess everyone's sins. Everything grinds to a halt when Beelzebub, with great wisdom, steps in: he offers three jesters Zuan Polo, Domenico Tagliacalze, and Pietro Gonnella a reduced sentence, allowing them to return to what they did best in life: entertaining. The show draws from the ancient art of the jester the quintessential entertainer, the most devoted worshipper of satire and mockery. Since time immemorial, comedians have been both terrified of and drawn to Hell. It’s inevitable: the underworld is the final destination for those willing to do anything for a laugh. Hell and its sulfurous jailers form the foundation of folk traditions and the tales of wandering storytellers. It holds within it both the high and the low, the tragic and the grotesque. "We tried to explore, between the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, some examples of infernal tales earthy, foul-smelling tracts," writes Stivalaccio Teatro, a company known for its unmistakable and irresistible reinterpretation of the Commedia dell’arte. "These episodes are told by three performers or rather, jesters, comedians, outcasts people willing to do anything to bring laughter. They make use of the jester's craft, that 15th-century mastery which later gave rise to the great tradition of Commedia actors. Strange characters, short tales, grotesque disguises, bizarre songs, demonic masks, and improvisations." With: Matteo Cremon, Michele Mori, Stefano Rota Original concept and direction: Marco Zoppello Set design: Matteo Pozzobon and Roberto Maria Macchi Costumes: Lauretta Salvagnin Lighting design: Matteo Pozzobon Masks and props: Stefano Perocco di Meduna and Tullia Dalle Carbonare Original music: Ilaria Fantin Footwear: Aldo Biasibetti Assistant director: Alvise Romanzini Photos and video: Serena Pea Set built at the Stivalaccio Teatro workshop by Roberto Maria Macchi and Matteo Pozzobon with artistic consultancy by Alberto Nonnato Costumes made by: Antonia Munaretti Production: Stivalaccio Teatro Special thanks to: Teatro Busnelli in Dueville and Accademia Olimpica di Vicenza Duration: 90 minutes