The Municipalities of Pozzuoli and Monteforte Irpino are twinning to celebrate Epiphany together.
Stella Maris – Between Faith and Mystery, the recital/concert with a theatrical text written by Paola Apuzza and Maurizio Merolla returns to illuminate the Epiphany, after the success of the fortunate performances at the Sanctuary of the Santissimo Rosario in Avellino, the Church of Maria Santissima di Loreto in Torchiati di Montoro and the Basilica del Carmine Maggiore in Naples.
The Compagnia Teatro degli Eventi, directed by Maurizio Merolla, on the occasion of Epiphany 2024, closes the cycle of sacred performances in the spaces of the Church of the Santissimo Rosario and San Vincenzo Ferrer in Pozzuoli on January 6, 2024 at 19.30:XNUMX pm (with free admission).
The story of the Annunciation and the birth of Jesus, interspersed with Christmas music and carols, was conceived as scenes from a nativity scene, with the presence, in addition to the main actors of the sacred representation, of some characters who, since the 18th century, have been an integral part of the Neapolitan nativity scene, such as Benino, the shepherdesses and Herod. All the characters, maintaining the sacredness of the function, are characterized in their human nature, with the contrasting feelings that the event of the incarnation of God in a woman contains within itself.
The theatrical representation does not propose a stereotyped vision of the sacred event – consolidated in the iconographic and narrative tradition – according to which Mary and Joseph, already with an aura of sanctity, welcomed with mystical fervor and sublime acceptance, the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel.
The authors wanted to give a realistic connotation to the characters, bringing out the truest feelings of men and women who, for the first time, confront the divine, deep and shocking emotions that range from fear, amazement and disbelief, to doubt.
It is above all doubt, experienced as an interior experience aimed at knowledge, the “dubito ergo sum” of St. Augustine, free from skepticism, that describes the meeting of Mary and Joseph with the messenger of the Father. And then doubt creeps into Anna, together with anger and despair at the thought that Mary, betraying morality and religion, became pregnant by a man before the wedding. Doubt that then, through a convinced and devout profession of faith, transforms for the protagonists into a confident trust in the will of the Father.
Off-screen, you can hear the deep, thundering voice of the Archangel Gabriel who will announce to Mary the Father's will to become her son in her womb.
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Another theme of the story, divided into scenic scenes, is the journey guided by the star that comes from the East. Benino and the shepherdesses, psychologically characterized by the profound humanity of the humble, of the last ones that God made man wants close to his birth, chase the comet, the star that foretells the divine event of the birth of the Child Jesus, the star that we could identify as the guide to man's eternal search for a reason for hope.
Benino and the shepherdesses speak the Neapolitan language which, through its verbal power, lexical and expressive variety and musicality, masterfully communicates the nuances and vivid emotions of the characters.
All the scenes of the performance will be introduced by the Narrating Angel, an ethereal and golden winged figure, who has the task of tying together the threads of the story of the birth of Jesus, guiding the spectators with a sweet voice, from the Annunciation of Mary to the Adoration of the Shepherds.
And in a living Neapolitan nativity scene Herod could not be missing, symbol of power and evil, the dark side of the human being. Herod is History that enters, with its violence, into the poetry of Christmas; it is the power of Rome that must prevail over the defenseless people by killing innocent children, it is the blood that stains, as a prelude to the Passion, the birth of Jesus. The character Herod embodies the thousand shades of man and king, cold rationality and lucid madness, the reason of state that goes beyond morality, the fear of losing power and the frantic search for a solution, any solution, no matter if cruel and bloody, to continue to wear the crown on his head. The king's crown, mockingly made of thorns, with which, then, one day, the Romans will crown Christ on the cross.
The soundtrack of the theatrical show is on original music by Giancarlo Sanduzzi, on guitar
Baritone: Luciano Matarazzo
Soprano: Antonella Firinu
Musical accompaniment: Osvaldo Ardita, on the accordion
The actors of the Teatro Degli Eventi Company: Rossella Manna (Angel narrator), Luca Coccola (Archangel Gabriel), Monica Piantedosi (Virgin Mary), Elisa Carbone (Saint Anne), Maurizio Merolla (Saint Joseph), Rita Aurigemma (shepherdess), Luciana Vitale (shepherdess), Giuseppe D'Amore (Benino), Bruno Preziosi (Herod), Pietro De Lise (Beggar shepherd)
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