A theatrical debut that promises to shock minds and mix fragility with madness: "CRICK – a one-act play in six accounts" makes its national premiere at the Sala Assoli-Moscato from May 8th to 11th, staging a dystopian story in which an ordinary man undergoes brain experiments to become "normal" in a world that turns weaknesses into dangerous weapons.
Show Details
The show, produced by Casa del Contemporaneo, is based on the text "Il topolino Crick" by Francesco Silvestri and Melina Formicola, and is directed by Rosario Sparno. On stage, actors Luca Iervolino and Francesco Roccasecca bring this disturbing parable to life, accompanied by music by Massimo Cordovani, costumes by Alessandra Gaudioso, sets by Fabrizio Comparone, and lighting design by Simone Picardi. Performances will be held at the Sala Assoli-Moscato from Thursday to Saturday at 8:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee at 6:00 pm. Tickets are €18.00 for full price and €15,00 for concessions (under 30, over 65, and participating organizations). Tickets are available by calling +39 345 467 9142 or by emailing assoli@casadelcontemporaneo.it . Furthermore, “CRICK” will be performed as a national premiere at the Teatro Vittoria during the Primavera dei Teatri festival, on May 29th at 8.15pm.
The Shocking Plot
In this bold reinterpretation, Silvestri transforms the story of Charlie Gordon and Algernon the mouse into that of Antonio Cafiero, a worker with cognitive deficit who works in a shoe factory and bonds with Crick the mouse in a clinical experiment. Antonio undergoes a procedure that promises to triple his intelligence, chasing the mirage of resembling the "others", but the result is a dystopian and heartbreaking narrative, where humanity sacrifices fragility, fallibility and that touch of wonder for blind progress. Silvestri's theater is full of marginal antiheroes, small but powerful individuals, thanks to an unexpected superpower: fragility as strength, diversity as a resource, emotion as resistance and the ability to wonder.
Words from the Director
Director Rosario Sparno doesn't mince his words: "Francesco loved comics and superheroes. His favorite was Antman. I would define his dramaturgy as 'Antman's, or Superheroes' dramaturgy.' This Superhero increases his strength by becoming very small, like an ant. He can make others small too, if he wants, and then return to "normal" at will. Here they are, the characters in Francesco Silvestri's theater: marginal beings, invisible, small as ants, yet incredibly strong thanks to their superpower: fragility and the ability to be amazed. But every superpower, as we know, is a gift that brings with it its burden. Superheroes struggle to adapt to the reality around them. Finding a place among the "normal" is difficult, even though it's often what they desire most, so as not to be alone. Antonio Cafiero is one of these superheroes. Perhaps the closest to them in Francesco's dramaturgy." A stark warning to those left on the margins of a society that doesn't know how to manage its "little heroes."
The article describes a show that seems interesting but there are many things that I do not understand well. The plot is complicated and I do not know if I will like it. I wait to hear other opinions before deciding whether to go.