La Bella Libertà, the show directed by Ferdinando Martino and brought on stage on May 10, 2025 at the Teatro Supercinema in Castellammare, proved to be an intense and engaging experience, capable of conquering the audience with its powerful emotional charge.
The strong desire for change, the fight for rights and social justice, together with the fragility of the Neapolitan Revolution of 1799 – a fragility that culminated in the harsh reality of the restoration and return of the Bourbons in 1800 – came to life on stage.
The director's artistic project transformed the story into a fascinating journey into the heart of a crucial moment in Neapolitan memory, born under the influence of the French Revolution.
In an interesting combination of drama and lightness, the complex subject found light in a fluid and suggestive narration. Without burdening the audience with the weight of the story, he made it vivid and captivating, returning it with the grace of a passionate story.
Energy and intensity, they transported the spectators into the flow of events, bringing out the depth and strength of a past that claims the value of ideas and justice. A completely appropriate choice, which fits perfectly with the ideal of a show capable of entertaining, without ever giving up the richness of the narrative.
The evening opened with a splendid performance by the ballet company. Pia Tagliamonte's choreography introduced the audience to an atmosphere full of hope and revolutionary fervor, representative of Naples at the end of the eighteenth century. Through the tension of the body and the musical rhythm, the dancers anticipated and made tangible the subversive ardour of that era.
Music, just as it happened in the squares of Naples in 1799, took on the role of soundtrack - and central narrative element - through the artistic contribution of the actresses in their additional capacity as singers. The performers, with the performance of some songs, added emotion and intensity to the performance. Taking turns on stage, with passionate voices, they made the strings of history vibrate, accompanying the audience on a real sensory journey.
The word of the revolution came to life on stage, transforming into a vibrant fresco, animated by the voice and soul of the actors. The protagonists gave shape to the ideals and historical reality with dialogues full of enthusiasm and an imposing stage presence.
The epochal change, marked by the brutality of war and its inevitable wounds, found its fulcrum in the meeting between the crowd, led by Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca and the French general Championnet.
Here the revolution was mirrored in its contradictions, releasing the tension between the people and the military power. To seal this moment, the emblematic question of the crowd:
“Good general, have you come to help us, or to conquer us?”
The contrast between the parties was further highlighted and strongly characterized through the flight of the monarchy, embodied by the determined and ambitious Queen Maria Carolina. Wife of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, the sovereign exercised a significant influence on the political decisions of the Kingdom of Naples, choosing to abandon the city rather than face its change.
His coldness, arrogance and contempt clearly highlighted the imbalance of a now delirious power: while the people fought to conquer freedom, the old regime, without regrets, walked away with riches and privileges, leaving behind only anger and despair.
Every hope of freedom was suffocated in blood, and the figures of Eleonora de Fonseca Pimentel, journalist and intellectual, Luisa Sanfelice and Francesca De Caroli paid the price of the revolution in different ways, victims of history and heroines of an ideal.
On stage, Anna Di Capua, Colomba Trombetta, Federica Caligiuri, Maria Donnarumma and Angelica Cascone gave voice and body to the women of the revolution, embodying their opposite roles with extraordinary intensity. Eleonora de Fonseca Pimentel, the commoner Nannina – and the writer Francesca De Carolis – Luisa Sanfelice, Lady Hamilton and Queen Maria Carolina came to life through interpretations that were able to combine firmness and vulnerability, restoring authentic depth to the characters of that historical context.
Ambrogio Coppola, Rosaria Cafiero, Angelo Irto, Amodio Somma, Ciro Daino, Umberto Amato and Giuseppe Gargiulo shone for their chorality and interpretative vigor, contributing to building an atmosphere full of emotions and rich in nuances of real life. The cast was able to give truth and intensity to the narration, transporting the audience to the heart of the events.
On stage, a dream was revived, through the celebration of a historical moment in which men and women imagined a different future, with strength and unceasing will. And even today, their fight hopefully can continue to inspire new generations, invigorated by the ideals of freedom evoked also through culture and art.
Article published on May 11, 2025 - 13:10 pm
