The Cambridge University Italian Society and Ars in Fieri – International Theatre Company are very proud to present
Napoli Milionaria
by Eduardo De Filippo, directed by Ludovico Nolfi
đź“… Dates and times:
- Friday, March 14th, 7pm
- Saturday, March 15th, 4pm and 7pm
- Sunday, March 16th, 2pm
📍 Location: Palmerston Auditorium, Fisher Building, St. John’s College, Cambridge, CB2 1TP
The performance will be in Italian with English captions displayed live.
Poche settimane dopo la liberazione mi affacciai al balcone della mia casa e guardai il panorama di questa cittĂ martoriata: allora mi venne in mente in embrione la commedia e la scrissi tutta d’un fiato, come un lungo articolo sulla guerra e le sue deleterie conseguenze.
~
A few weeks after the liberation, from my house balcony I looked out at the panorama of this wrinkled city; then I saw the play in embryo and I wrote it all in one go, like a long article about the war and its ruinous consequences.
—Eduardo De Filippo
ABOUT THE SHOW
Running time
The performance lasts approximately 1 hour with no interval.
Language
Played in Italian with English surtitles. Captions and translations in English will be displayed on a screen above the stage.
Tickets
Online ticket sale ends 2 hours before each show date. Tickets are also available at the door 30 min before each show.
Please present the booking confirmation at the box office together with an ID for concessions (i.e., Cambridge University students, CUIS members, and under 16). To guarantee a seat, children under 9 must have a (free) reserved ticket.
For more information about becoming a member of the CU Italian Society, please visit Becoming a Member – Cambridge University Italian Society or contact cuitaliansoc@gmail.com.
Sponsors
We extend our gratitude to all the businesses whose support made the organization of this event possible:
A special acknowledgment to Mimmo Manes Graphics Design Studio.
A ticket for Napoli Milionaria lets you access the following discount:
- discounted price on bite-size cakes (i pasticcini) and Gelato at DULCIS gelato & pasticcini (offer valid until March 16, 2025);
- a hydration treatment in addition to your selected service at Morresi Hair Stylist
Donations
This year Napoli Milionaria will support the Lega del filo d’oro association. Part of the shows income will be donated to offer a better life to people with psychosensory disabilities, providing them assistance, education, rehabilitation, and autonomy through this 60-years old association. Please, consider adding a donation at checkout while booking a ticket for the show. The suggested amount can be removed or modified. We kindly thank you all our donors.
STORY
Eduardo De Filippo wrote Napoli Milionaria in one sitting and staged it immediately after completion in March 1945 (exactly eighty years ago), when Italy was yet to be freed from Nazi-fascism. This masterpiece, one of the works by the great Neapolitan playwright most performed worldwide, tells a tragicomic story of the devastating and corrupting outcomes of World War II, but speaks universally about any war.
The play is set in Naples in 1942. Amalia, against the moral integrity of her husband, Gennaro, sells food through the black market to feed her family. When Gennaro is captured by the retreating German army and reported missing, Amalia expands her crooked business in cahoots with Settebellezze, a dodgy businessman.
The arrival of the American forces in late 1943 brings wealth and goods to the city of Naples, comprehensively destroyed and deprived of its gorgeous millenary soul, and Gennaro’s family is in complete disarray when he unexpectedly returns home. It will be the illness of his little daughter Rituccia that will wake up everyone from the nightmare they had fallen into. But in Gennaro’s own words: the war is not over yet and we have to wait for the night to pass. “Ha da passĂ ‘a nuttata.”
Eduardo De Filippo (1900-1984), Italian playwright, actor, director, screenwriter and poet, is considered one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century. His theatre plays, which he performed himself, although written in Neapolitan dialect, have been translated and performed all over the world. For his artistic achievements, he was appointed Senator for life, and awarded the Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa degree, from both La Sapienza University in Rome and Birmingham University.
HOW TO GET THERE
Access St John’s College from the Porters’ Lodge on Northampton Street (see map). The Palmerston Auditorium is located inside the Fisher Building.
