Italian Theatre Festival: Novecento

(This is a past event and is no longer running)

Eugenio Allegri has been telling the story of Danny Boodman T.D. Lemon Novecento since 1994. An extremely popular and successful monologue, it has received over 500 performances in Italy and Europe, and been seen by over 200,000 people.

Best-selling author Alessandro Baricco is one of the most translated writers in the world, and his book has sold more than a million copies. It has also been adapted into a film by Giuseppe Tornatore, La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano, with Tim Roth in the leading role.

Allegri recounts how the play first came about: “In the courtyard of Vacis’ house, between the end of August and the beginning of September, while the barbecue scorches pieces of beef that are still in full possession of their mental faculties, an author and an actor have a witty exchange with a director. “So, what do you think? Is this pianist getting off the boat or not?” asks the author. The director and the actor give each other a puzzled glance as if to say: “Well, he’s the one who gets paid for writing, isn’t he?…”

The day goes by, helped by a few drinks of good wine, until towards the evening, when it’s time to say goodbye, Allegri says to Baricco: “Here, take this notebook, with annotations on a theatrical script that I never wrote and an inscription to the play Novecento e mille that I did with De Berardinis in 1986. There are some of my reflections on art and theatre. Adieu! Bon travail”.

Four months later, on January 27th, the first mind-blowing pages of Novecento, the theatre monologue, come back from Paris together with Baricco.

Written by:
Alessandro Baricco

Directed by:
Gabriele Vacis

With:
Eugenio Allegri

Production:
Teatro Stabile di Torino – Teatro Nazionale
Società cooperativa Artquarium