At the Teatro Sannazaro, from Friday, February 21st to Sunday, February 23rd, "Pure Heart – A Black Tale for the Camorra and Football," an opera by Roberto Saviano, written and directed by Mario Gelardi, will be performed. The performance will feature top-notch actors including Vito Amato, Emanuele Cangiano, Carlo Di Maro, Francesco Ferrante, and Antonella Romano.
A Black Fable in Naples
Pure Heart is one of Saviano's latest works, a reworking of one of his early stories. The plot revolves around three teenagers who become lookouts for the Camorra. While playing soccer in a square, they must report the arrival of the police or any suspicious individuals. The teenagers live torn between their love of soccer and the lure of easy money from crime. Saviano's work, though set in Naples, has a universal appeal, drawing on the cinematic influences of director Ken Loach. This narrative explores how undeniable talent may not be enough when living in difficult circumstances. Tonino, a character who aspires to become a sports agent, becomes the symbol who brings the teenagers back to harsh reality, discouraging their aspirations.
The Artistic Project
Pure Heart presents itself as a "dark fairy tale", with the three young protagonists taking turns telling their story.
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Saviano describes the difficult context with a thread of hope, where courageously pursuing one's passion can save a life. It is a reminder of the humanity that characterizes neighborhood soccer games, a memory of lightheartedness and the belief that one day things can get better.
Roberto Saviano
I have always thought that everywhere and in every life there could be a possibility of salvation. I wrote Cuore Puro thinking about the kids in my city who play soccer in the street. Every square, every open space, every corner becomes an improvised field for them, a stadium that hosts passers-by. The kids who play in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods, in the suburbs that I have described so many times, often do not look to the future with optimism; sometimes they do not even think they have a future, trapped as they are in a land that has so little to offer. But in Cuore puro there is something different: hope becomes a concrete possibility of salvation and pursuing your passion, scoring that goal, can save your life. The kids who are the protagonists of this aria leave no stone unturned, they try to make their dream come true, because as Maradona said: "Penalties are missed only by those who have the courage to take them". Cuore puro for me is a simple joy: it is the joy of a game of soccer played in the street, when you are little. And now that I no longer play football on the streets, I like to relive those moments and bring back their childish lightheartedness, the irrational belief that one day things can change, and not just for ourselves. I like to think that my land, despite everything, still has something to offer.
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