The Cantata dei Pastori by Peppe Barra at the Politeama Theater: the tradition of Neapolitan Christmas
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The classic Neapolitan Christmas tradition show is directed and interpreted by Peppe Barra: La Cantata dei Pastori at the Politeama Theater!
If there's one theatrical performance that best represents Christmas in Naples, it's La Cantata dei Pastori , which will return this year to immerse audiences in the true Neapolitan Christmas atmosphere.
From 14 to 26 December 2017, the great Peppe Barra will bring his traditional and much-loved Cantata dei Pastori to the Politeama Theatre in Naples , a classic that continues to entertain and enthuse Neapolitan audiences.
The Shepherds' Cantata: or Two Thieves in Bethlehem , the full title of the show by and starring Peppe Barra , is a re-adaptation, written in collaboration with Paolo Memoli , of the centuries-old religious play written in the late 600th century by Andrea Perrucci. After more than forty years, Peppe Barra will continue to perform his Shepherds' Cantata in the role of Razzullo , the scribe sent to Palestine for the census, a comical and irreverent character who is always hungry.
The Cantata dei Pastori, from the sacred tradition to the Neapolitan comedy
The Shepherds' Cantata is one of the best-known operas, still performed in Naples today during the Christmas holidays, but its origins are centuries old. It is, in fact, a work written in 1698 by Andrea Perrucci , under the pseudonym Ruggiero Casimiro Ugone, with the title Il Vero Lume tra l'Ombre, ovvero la Spelonca Arricchita per la Nascita del Verbo Manato (The True Light among the Shadows, or the Cave Enriched for the Birth of the Human Word ).
The work had a profound religious meaning as it narrated the long journey undertaken by Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem , hindered several times by the Devils who prevented the birth of Jesus in every way. At the end of the story the Devils were defeated by the Angels and the shepherds could finally begin to worship the Baby Jesus.
Over the years and centuries, some comic figures were introduced into the text, such as Razzullo , a perpetually hungry scribe sent to Palestine for the census, and Sarchiapone, a mad former barber fleeing from two murders he had committed. These two characters, who became the true protagonists and narrators of La Cantata dei Pastori , are today considered two characteristic masks of the Neapolitan tradition.
Informazioni su The Cantata dei Pastori by Peppe Barra
When: from 14 to 16 December 2017; 20, 21, 23, 25 and 26 December 2017
Timetables: 21.00 hours; Wednesday 20 December at 18.00
Price tickets:
- Platea armchair: 30 euro
- Stage 1 level: 30 euro
- Stage 2 ° and 3 ° level: 20 euro
Where: Politeama Theater, Via Monte di Dio 80 - Naples
More information: Box Office Augusteo 081414243; Official website
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