Naples – What happens when a lifelong silence is broken not by a word, but by a shipwreck? This is the story of "Dad's Journey," the new comedy by Maurizio Casagrande and F. Velonà, which opens the Teatro Acacia season starting November 6th.
Not your average road trip, but a surreal and poetic drift toward an island that shouldn't exist: a floating continent of plastic, the size of Spain, a metaphor for pollution that is not just environmental, but also emotional.
The plot revolves around a father and son who, like so many others, are two strangers bound by blood. He, an unscrupulous and pragmatic entrepreneur, wanted a clone of himself. His son, on the other hand, is a vacuous dreamer, a failure in his own eyes. Divided by a wall of misunderstanding, they find themselves embarking on a forced journey, a last resort to truly see each other.
But an unexpected incident changes everything: a shipwreck that transforms them into postmodern castaways, Robinson Crusoe and Friday on an island made of bottles, bags and rubbish.
From the Plastic Ocean to the Stage
The inspiration, as Casagrande himself explains, comes from a real and powerful image: "In the Pacific Ocean there is an island that is not found on any map.
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On the plastic island, the rules of the real world are shattered. To survive, the efficient father and the "useless" son must work together. This is where the comedy, already packed with hilarious clashes and cutting jokes, takes on a magical dimension. The two encounter a supernatural being who, through the universal language of music—with Ania Cecilia's captivating original songs—asks for their help to survive. The shipwreck is no longer a disaster, but an extraordinary event that forces us to look at each other with new eyes.
The comedy of life
"Some might think it's better to sleep at night," Casagrande jokes, "but I really wanted to tell this story. Seeing a man convinced he knows everything, and then breaking down in the face of his worst nightmares, is always hilarious. And making people laugh is my primary mission. If, in doing so, I can spark even a little reflection, I'm truly happy."
On stage, with Casagrande, a close-knit company: Ania Cecilia, Michele Capone, Giovanni Iovino, and Arianna Pucci. Providing the backdrop for this adventure are sets by Max Comune, lighting by Saverio Topi, and costumes by Maria Rosaria Riccio.
"Dad's Journey" promises to be more than just a comedy: it's a story about the fear of diversity, the inability to listen, and the absurd yet wonderful possibility that, in order to reconcile with oneself, one must first be shipwrecked and find oneself naked, on an island of garbage, ready to start over. Because, as Casagrande reminds us, "ultimately, dad is our first hero." Even when, to find himself, he must get lost in the middle of the ocean.
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