The City of Nice is organizing the 12th edition of the Nights of Theatre on the upcoming June 14th and 15th, which will take place in the magical setting of the Cimiez Arenas. Both performances are free and will feature a classic repertoire play revisited in “baroque” style (Racine’s Andromaque) and a burlesque adaptation of a Goldoni masterpiece.
On the program:
*Friday, June 14 at 9:30 PM*
The Venetian Twins by Carlo Goldoni
Presented by Viva la Commedia
Directed by: Anthony Magnier
To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the company Viva la Commedia offers a firework of comedy with Goldoni’s masterpiece. Set in the aesthetic of the Roaring Twenties, this burlesque show takes the audience on an overwhelming whirlwind.
Romantic mix-ups, misunderstandings, colorful characters, and twins separated at birth unexpectedly meet in Verona to marry their beloved. While Tonino, raised in Venice, is a witty and refined young man, Zanetto, raised in the countryside of Bergamo, is a boorish simpleton who frequently makes blunders. A whirlwind of incongruous situations weaves a frantic day set against a backdrop of arranged marriages, stolen jewels, and a vial of poison.
*Saturday, June 15 at 9:30 PM*
Andromaque Fantaisie Barock’
Based on Racine’s work / Adapted by Pierre Lericq
Presented by the company Les Épis Noirs
After the Odyssey, Genesis, and Antigone, Les Épis Noirs uproot Andromaque! A baroque fantasy where burlesque and tragedy intertwine… Centered around Hermione, Andromaque, Pyrrhus, and Orestes, “Andromaque-Fantaisie barock’” is crafted like a music hall show with the character of Death as the master of ceremonies. Each scene is written as a song, as a number in which the characters constantly swing between the burlesque and the tragic.
The play’s argument can be summed up in one sentence: Orestes loves Hermione, but she loves Pyrrhus, who loves Andromaque, who loves Hector… who is dead.
