This evening, at 21 pm, at the Teatro Trianon Viviani in Naples, the preview of “The King of Naples: History and Legend of Mario Merola” will be presented, a documentary film directed by Massimo Ferrari that celebrates the life and career of Mario Merola, an iconic figure in Neapolitan music and theater.
The evening symbolically represents Merola's return to the Forcella theater, where he debuted in 1959, at just 25 years old, winning a competition for new voices with the interpretation of "Senza guapparia". The documentary offers a complete and moving portrait of the famous singer and actor, using precious testimonies and unpublished archive materials.
Admission to the event is free until all seats are taken.
Among the contributions stand out the voices of artists and friends such as Gigi D'Alessio, Nino D'Angelo,Marisa Laurito,Maurizio de Giovanni and his children Francesco, Roberto and Loredana Merola, who share personal memories and reflections on the artistic legacy of an unforgettable performer.
According to director Massimo Ferrari: “Mario Merola was a great artist and a great character. To tell his story, you have to enter his world and understand what he represents for a people whose heart is in Naples but which extends throughout the world, from the United States to Australia. He is the King of the sceneggiata, the one who revived a genre born at the beginning of the twentieth century, bringing it to extraordinary popularity.”
The documentary film, screened at the Trianon Viviani Theater lasting 90 minutes, is produced by Big Sur in collaboration with Rai Documentari and Mad Entertainment. It is loosely based on the book “Napoli solo andata… Il mio lungo viaggio”, written by Mario Merola with Geo Nocchetti (Sperling & Kupfer – Rai Eri). The screenplay is by Massimo Ferrari together with Luciano Stella, with photography by Fabio Lanciotti and original music by Vincenzo Foniciello.
Mario Merola returns to dominate the scene, this time through the intense and profound story of someone who truly knew him. Thursday, July 17, in prime time on Rai5, the show will air: The King of Naples: History and Legend by Mario Merola, the documentary directed by Massimo Ferrari and written with Luciano Stella, which traces the rise of a man who became the voice and face of popular Naples, its music, and its people. Produced by Big Sur with Rai Documentari and Mad Entertainment, the documentary is loosely based on the autobiography. Naples one way… My long journey, written by Merola himself with Geo Nocchetti.
Using archival images and previously unseen footage, Ferrari constructs a candid and passionate portrait, spanning the city's iconic locations—from the port to the Case Nuove, from Piazza Mercato to the kitchen of the house in Portici—where family memories and traditions are still handed down today. The heart of the film beats in the stories of those who lived it: his children Francesco, Roberto, and Loredana Merola, as well as artists such as Gigi D'Alessio, Nino D'Angelo, Marisa Laurito, and the writer Maurizio De Giovanni. All are called upon to piece together the mosaic of a character who turned the sceneggiata into a cultural phenomenon, bringing it to levels of popularity unimaginable in the 70s and 80s.
A championship lived with bated breath, decided only in the last ninety minutes, like a car race resolved at a photo finish. It is from this image that “The Great Race – Photo Finish Scudetto”, the official documentary film of the Lega Serie A dedicated to the 2024/25 season, one of the most spectacular and hard-fought in recent years, won by Antonio Conte's Napoli.
An original production by the League itself, entirely made at the IBC in Lissone, which is now available for free on YouTube and soon also on DAZN, as well as for international distribution. The documentary tells the incredible Scudetto race with an innovative and engaging language, using the metaphor of a kart race to express tension, speed and unexpected events. Every point becomes an overtaking, every mistake a missed opportunity, every curve a turning point that can change everything.
The Trianon Viviani in Naples is ready to close out its season in style, with a penultimate week of programming that promises sparks and surprises before the final concert with Toquinho. From musical farces to irreverent shows and literary encounters, the Live in Napoli program, conceived by artistic director Marisa Laurito, is attracting crowds of...
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