A simple and exciting story, an extraordinary direction by Alessandro Gassmann
“The Great Stories are immediately recognizable […] The Great Stories do not need a precise form, because they go directly to wound the surface of the soul and leave an unforgettable, wonderful scar. This happens because the Great Stories tell, in a simple and understandable way, what we all have in common: feelings, passions. Friendship, love, despair. Nobody can pretend not to hear what the Great Stories are able to communicate ”.
(Maurizio De Giovanni)
It is not the first time that the theme of the madness mental is treated in the theater. Just as it is not the first time that the famous novel by Ken Kesey Someone flew over the cuckoo's nest, is represented in the theater. As happened on Broadway in 1971, in the theatrical adaptation by Dale Wasserman, which was the basis of the screenplay of the most famous film made by Milos Forman with Jack Nicholson, which won five Oscars, becoming one of the world's cinematic masterpieces.
But there is something, in the original stage transposition of Alessandro Gassmann premiered last night at Bellini Theater of Naples, which leaves you breathless. A sense of naturalness and humanity, of simplicity and familiarity with the world recreated on the stage. But at the same time also strong and intense emotions in front of the involved issues dealt with: illness, fear of the world, inner discomfort, abuse of power, deprivation of personal freedom.
Just a few initial lines are enough to transport the spectator without difficulty in the story told. Thanks to a simple re-elaboration of drama, direct and close to the Neapolitan public, that only a writer like Maurizio De Giovanni he could do it. Yes, because this new version of Someone flew over the cuckoo's nest is set inPsychiatric Hospital of Aversa in 1982 and the protagonist, built on the basis of Randle McMurphy, is called Dario Danise, played by an incomparable Daniele Russo, here in one of his most extraordinary and convincing acting performances. The Neapolitan dialectal language, the ways of doing and saying, especially of Danise, the temporal, social and cultural context, which is referred to in different ways during the unfolding of the plot, make the show contemporary and close to our world.
The story begins with the entry of Dario, a delinquent who pretends to be mad to escape prison, in the psychiatric hospital, where he is catapulted into a microcosm composed of seven patients, each of them suffering from different mental pathologies. Seven "pazzarielli", as Danise calls them, who fill their days between card games and group therapies, phobias and small and big manias (in which we can all recognize each other), constantly monitored by Sister Lucia, the embodiment of the institute's central power.
The arrival of Dario is destined to upset the internal dynamics of the hospital, and will make patients realize that they have only one desperate need of normality, beyond the rigid rules imposed from above, by those who tend only to impose their own strength on other human beings, depriving them of freedom. He will thus become, thanks to his bravado and his spirit of rebellion, the champion of a battle against Sister Lucy, a metaphor for the social repressive system, allowing the redemption of both his new friends and himself, crossing an inner path that will lead him to reconsider his role in the world.
Masterful, in their rigorously minimalism, the scenic choices. To involve the spectator in the world recreated by Gassmann, a special transparent panel placed on the proscenium on which are projected special effects able to transform some scenes into idle cinematic, of great visual impact, or to "build" the dreams, nightmares and imaginations of Ramon, a "giant" pazzariello who will prove to be an extraordinary key character in Dario Danise's "liberation", which will take place in a tragic and exciting the final.
In 2 hours and 45 the talented cast put on by Alessandro Gassmann manages to convey a strong sense of humanity, which makes us feel part, regardless of the time and geographical context, of this strange world where madness is considered danger and abnormality, and never as a fear of confrontation with the complex and intricate external universe . So much so as to force them to close in on themselves, autonomously depriving themselves of dialogue with other men. Little big fears that, after all, do not take the "crazy" away from the "normal".
Someone flew over the cuckoo's nest will still be on stage at the Teatro Bellini in Naples until 19 2015 in April. For all information on timetables and ticket prices consult our dedicated article.
