A disputed inheritance, contingent upon the continuation of a marriage. A story full of twists and turns which, by altering certain details, will present a completely unexpected ending each time. This is the plot of *Il Gioco di Nerone*, which the Compagnia dell’Unicorno will stage on Thursday 23 July – at 9.15 p.m. – at the former Arena (Via Settembre), as part of the “Ora d’Aria” festival (free admission).
The third event in the summer programme organised by TeatroCastello, based on an idea by the late Paolo Puccini (an actor and theatre director from Castelfiorentino who passed away in 2014), the performance is symbolically presented as a game of chess, in which a character (Nero) delights in altering the “moves” of the various pieces arranged on the chessboard to see how this might change the outcome of the game.
At stake is the inheritance of a beautiful lakeside villa, which Brando’s grandfather left to him and his wife Nicoletta – but only if, at the time of the transfer, the couple are still together and happy. The two have separated and are now engaged to other people, but they pretend their marriage is still intact in order to keep the villa. The scheming Dr Pizzigalli sneaks into Domitilla’s birthday party to expose them and take possession of the villa, using legal loopholes.
Nero, addressing the audience directly with Camilla’s help (or rather, her interference), presents the facts whilst enjoying seeing how events unfold differently when a small detail is altered. The same story will therefore be repeated three times, each time with a different ending.
The show is directed by Matteo Dall’Olmo and features Andrea Gradassi, Claudia Rivello, Elena Lettieri, Laura Raugei, Lorenzo Molisse, Martina Nesci, Niccolò Persico, Paola Alderighi, Rebecca Troplini and Rhydian Brunori.
The “L’Ora d’Aria” festival will conclude on Thursday 30 July with the play “Unrequited Death” by the Compagnia TeatroCastello.
