But what do all these well-born men have to do, turning around the young and pretty young widow who parades her charm and beauty through 18th century Venice? Are they really sincere in their feverish declarations? This piquant comedy, written in 1748 by the Italian master Carlo Goldoni, is happily staged at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens by the Italian Giancarlo Marinelli with beautiful costumes and a twirling cast.
A very fit widow
When you are rich, widowed and pretty, there are few suitors who do not run after you. Rosaura Lombardi is the Venetian heroine of this Italian comedy which preserves, for the first time, all the aspects of the commedia dell’arte. In three well-conducted acts, The Fine Flytitle by which the Vedova Scaltra is sometimes adapted into French, tells the story of the vain round of suitors of four different nationalities, an English lord, a French gentleman, a Spanish nobleman and an Italian count. Competing in gifts and compliments, they use and abuse Harlequin who becomes the respective servant of each of them. Things get complicated when the beautiful Venetian, full of indecision, subjects each of the suitors to a feint subtle and provocative with the aim of probing the sincerity of each person.
Effervescent staging
@BeatriceLivet
In a setting of Venetian projections, arcades and baroque palace doors, the actors have a great time, using and abusing the cliché that characterizes each type. Of course, Goldoni laughs at prototypes and plays with characters, but his ferocity with regard to social relations wins over the audience, his writing is brilliant and dynamic, and it is served here by performers with a delicious performance. Catarina Murino, an actress who has appeared extensively in the cinema, lends her slim figure to Rosaura with an Italian accent and sparkling energy. She is supported by the blonde Sarah Biasini, a real firework of freshness who gives Marionnette, his lady-in-waiting, a superb and radiant presence.
Successful casting
@BeatriceLivet
In the roles of suitors, Pierre Rochefort plays a melancholic Italian count, who contrasts with the demonstrative brilliance of his neighbors. Thierry Harcourt plays an English Lord who is larger than life, contemptuous and self-assured, Vincent Deniard excels as the roaring Spaniard, carrying with him his entire prestigious genealogy. In the role of the Frenchman, Vincent Desagnat is of a preciousness that borders on extravagance. Finally, Tom Leeb gives a real comic demonstration in a multi-form and multi-function Harlequin, rolling his buttocks and eyes, collecting gifts, money and sweet words, creating a burlesque and grotesque disorder. Let us add that the costumes, created by Stefano Nicolao’s Venetian Atelier, are of great beauty, as is the lighting by Didier Brun, which make this Franco-Italian production a joyful and very successful comedy.
Helene Kuttner
