Ozpetek's Great Theatre on Tour in Cagliari and Sassari

Another great theatre on the Island with one of the most anticipated events of the current year's artistic season.

The main protagonists are two stars of the first magnitude such as Serra Yilmaz and Tosca D'Aquino to interpret, together with an excellent cast including the very talented Erik Tonelli, Toni Fornari, Luciano Scarpa, Tina Agrippino, Sara Bosi and Fabio Zarrella, an arcane fable about love and desire and the search for one's own identity: it is “Magnifica Presenza”, a show by Ferzan Özpetek with sets by Luigi Ferrigno, costumes by Monica Gaetani and lighting design by Pasquale Mari which is touring Italy with extraordinary success.

The production of the Compagnia Nuovo Teatro directed by Marco Balsamo, in co-production with the Fondazione Teatro della Toscana, will be on stage, in regional premiere, from tonight, Wednesday 19 February, until Sunday at the Teatro Massimo in Cagliari, every day from Wednesday to Friday at 8:30 pm, Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 7 pm, with an afternoon performance on Friday at 4:30 pm, and Monday 24 February at 8:30 pm at the Teatro Comunale in Sassari for the Season of La Grande Prosa organized by CeDAC / Circuito Multidisciplinare dello Spettacolo dal Vivo chaired by Antonio Cabiddu and directed by Valeria Ciabattoni.

A journey through time, between reality and dream, with the gripping play, based on the film of the same name by the established Turkish director, born in Istanbul and moved to Italy, where he studied History of Cinema at La Sapienza University in Rome and attended the National Academy of Dramatic Arts “Silvio D'Amico”, collaborating with the Living Theatre and then taking his first steps in cinema, as assistant and assistant director to Massimo Troisi, Maurizio Ponzi, Ricky Tognazzi, Sergio Citti and Francesco Nuti, to finally debut behind the camera in 1997 with “Il Bagno Turco” (“Hamam”), presented at the Cannes Film Festival in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.

Her career is a succession of successes, from “Harem Suare” to “Le Fate Ignoranti”, “La finestra di fronte” (2003), “Cuore Sacro” (2005), “Saturno contro” (2007) and “Un Giorno Perfetto” (2008), the cult film “Mine Vaganti” (2010) and “Magnifica Presenza” (2012) and also “Allacciate le sella” (2014), “Rosso Istanbul” (2017), “Napoli velata” (2017) on the mysteries of the Neapolitan city and “La Dea Fortuna” (2019), “Nuovo Olimpo” (2023), distributed on Netflix and the very recent “Diamanti” (2024), with a stellar cast, in which she tells the story of the female universe, but not only, and the life “behind the scenes” of an important tailoring shop where precious costumes for the theater and cinema are created.

“Magnifica Presenza” tells the story of Pietro, played by the magnetic Erik Tonelli, one of the stars of Ozpetek’s latest masterpiece, “Diamanti”, a young aspiring actor who arrives in Rome with a suitcase full of dreams and in the meantime pines for love, infatuated with Massimo, with whom he had a brief liaison and who continues to court, bombarding him with messages, considering him almost her “boyfriend”: an emblematic story, which reflects the ambitions of many artists for whom the capital represents the ideal destination where they can finally fulfill themselves and demonstrate their talent, and finally undertake the profession for which they studied, following their vocation.

Immersed in his world, between romantic fantasies and auditions with less than satisfactory outcomes, the protagonist finally manages to find a house all to himself, only to discover later that the elegant residence is inhabited by ghosts.

Among period furniture and glittering chandeliers, the spirits of the actresses and actors of a theatre company are hidden, overwhelmed by the events of the years of the regime: secretly engaged in the ranks of the Resistance, the artists had been betrayed and denounced by a person in whom they had mistakenly placed their full trust, because they thought he shared the same ideals.

Ferzan Özpetek signs the dramaturgy and direction of an imaginative show that tells thoughts and emotions, passions and desires against the backdrop of twentieth-century Italy: in addition to describing the protagonist's heartbreaks, the director confronts a dark and disturbing page of History.

His “ghosts” are in fact victims of Nazism, imprisoned in a limbo waiting to discover what really happened and to come to terms with their past and their choices: silent and unknown heroes and heroines participating in the struggle of a people in defense of civil rights and freedom.

To experience the magic of theater off stage, make an appointment with “Oltre la Scena – incontro con gli artisti”, a free-entry event until seats are taken: tomorrow, Thursday 20 February, at 5 pm in the Foyer of the Teatro Massimo, Serra Yilmaz, Tosca D'Aquino and Erik Tonelli, together with the actors of the company, will tell the plot and characters, themes and setting of “Magnifica Presenza”, interviewed by the journalist Nicola Muscas.

LP