Evento

The Great One-Man Commedia Epic

The Great One-Man Commedia Epic-Originally commissioned in 2004 for Italy's 20th Annual Stage Internazionalehas toured theatres, festivals, and schools throughout the States and Europe, including performances in New York City, London, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

In The Great One-Man Commedia Epic, actor/writer/director Matthew R. Wilson single-handedly brings to life the entire cast of 12 characters drawn from the historical Commedia dell' Arte. The story is the classic story of Italian Renaissance comedy: Young lovers have their lives thrown into chaos as their wedding plans are threatened by squabbling fathers, boasting war heroes, and a host of well-meaning but dim-witted servants. The entire town is drawn to the brink of tragedy before love prevails, normalcy is restored, and comedy triumphs.

The story is still recognizable and entertaining today as these charming personalities struggle to survive, and the audience simultaneously delights in watching Wilson struggle to control his rambunctious cast. Playing both sides of classic comic double-handers, staging raucous scenes of full-company hysteria, and even dueling himself, Wilson creates an entire world on a bare stage, with only the aid of a versatile costume by Jessica Wegener and traditional Commedia dell'Arte masks, designed and hand-crafted in leather by the world-renowned Antonio Fava!

A treat for avant-garde theatre fans, scholars of dramatic history, and the fun-loving child in all of us, this remarkable event is sure to please anyone who wants to see how modern comedy began 500 years ago as well as those who are looking for laughs today.