From Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th March at the Sannazaro theatre in Naples, Lorenzo Balducci in EGO Extreme Game Over written by Riccardo Pechini and Mariano Lamberti who also signs the direction.
After the notable public response of Allegro non troppo (sold out in almost 30 cities) and the consecration with the subsequent Fake (Christmas show at the Off Off Theatre in Rome), Lorenzo Balducci returns to close an ideal trilogy of shows that, while using the classic scathing and provocative register of stand up comedy, have always dealt with challenging and socio-culturally relevant themes. EGO The art of being happy is no exception, indeed, it tackles an even more uncomfortable subject.
The greatest and most fascinating mystery that has always united the entire human race: death. EGO is in fact the acronym for Extreme Game Over. Given the premises, it may seem risky that the title also includes the word happiness, yet it is precisely on this paradox that the show wants to reflect. Because removing the finiteness of our existence ultimately leads us to lead unhappy lives. Taking inspiration from the famous phrase by Ungaretti "I hope that death takes me alive", EGO reviews the tragicomic strategies with which we escape from the thought of our departure (which is not only expressed as fear of physical death but also Freudianly as fear of change, aging, loneliness and abandonment). And here then are the new frontiers of cosmetic surgery.
In China, procedures to “Westernize” almond-shaped eyes are popular, in America, procedures to resemble a particular star or even a cartoon character. Not to mention what happens, especially in Italy, below the belt, with rejuvenations, plumping up or various lengthenings. Because the fear of death is also and above all a business that makes billions. The pharmaceutical industries, now fully-fledged “dealers” of eternal youth, know something about it. Or the funeral homes that organize processions and funerals for our dear extinct pets, or the timeless mediums, those friendly evergreens able to make us message our deceased with lots of facial emoticons during the trance. And yet, according to some religions (especially Buddhism), incorporating the awareness of death into daily life guarantees living fully realized and happy existences. Exactly the opposite of what happens in our society, not by chance gripped by that existential void from which addictions, sexual compulsions (aided by apps increasingly aimed at satisfying a consumerism of bodies) are born, and that mania for fame, power and success that emblematically unites old politicians and very young Tik Tok users.
As in the other shows, there will be no shortage of forays into philosophy and literature, reviewing, always in an entertaining way, the most original "scientific" theories on what awaits us in the afterlife, the most bizarre experiments or, on the contrary, the most fascinating rites of some Italian popular traditions regarding the cult of the dead. The show, written like the previous ones by Riccardo Pechini and Mariano Lamberti (who also directs it this time), finds in Lorenzo Balducci an ideal interpreter, capable with his great talent as a performer of entertaining while dealing with important themes, moving with ease from Heidegger and Hillman to a lipsynch of Paola and Chiara.
Show times:
- Friday 22 21.00 hours
- Saturday hours 23 19.00
- Sunday 23 18.00 hours
Article published on March 18, 2024 - 13pm
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