Aggiungi un posto a tavola

Last updated

Aggiungi un posto a tavola (ET: Set another place at the table) is a musical comedy written by Pietro Garinei, Sandro Giovannini and Jaja Fiastri, with music by Armando Trovaioli. It debuted in 1974 under the direction of Garinei and Giovannini.

Contents

An English version called Beyond the Rainbow, adapted by David Forrest with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, opened in November 1978 at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End and ran for six months. [1]

Production history

Between 1973 and 1974, Sandro Giovannini and Pietro Garinei wrote a musical comedy inspired by the novel After Me, the Deluge by David Forrest (the pseudonym of David Eliades and Robert Forrest-Webb) with Jaja Fiastri, with music from jazz player Armando Trovaioli. The total cost of the staging was about 250 million lire, due to the complicated wooden pieces in the scenery of the show, and used the turning stage of the Sistina theatre in Rome.. The show received its title after a vote of the company, who preferred Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola (Add a seat at the table) to the alternatives.

The first edition of the show debuted on 8 December 1974 and included Johnny Dorelli as Don Silvestro, Paolo Panelli as the mayor and Bice Valori as Consolazione. The show was a success and lasted for six months, something that never happened before in Italian theatre.

In 1977 the show toured internationally in London, where it wasn't very successful, because of one of it central themes - catholic priests celibacy - Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo.

In the most recent edition of the show (2024) the voice of God is that of Enzo Garinei, brother of the writer of the show Pietro Garinei.

Characters

Plot

Act 1

Don Silvestro, priest of a fictional village in the mountains in Italy is organising a show called Aggiungi un posto a tavola ("Aggiungi un posto a tavola"). After reharsal one night, Silvestro is talking to Toto, a villager, and explaining what love is. They're interrupted by young Clementina, daughter of the Mayor and in love with Don Silvestro, who uses the excuse of confessing to be close to him ("Peccato che sia peccato"). After Clementina leaves, Silvestro receives a phone call from God himself, who has decided to send a second universal flood on earth, having chosen the small village to repopulate earth. Don Silvestro has to build an ark, like Noah's, to save the people and animals of the village. God also says that the following night will be destined to procreation and all men will have to lay with their wives.

The following day God wakes all villagers by sounding the church bells and forces Don Silvestro to share what will be happening, to which no one believes him. God performs a miracle, allowing Silvestro to ring the bells with a simple gesture of his fingers, which convinces everyone of the truth ("Concerto per prete e campane"). The atmosphere gets romantic, but suddenly everything is interrupted by the arrival of Consolazione, a woman of ill-repute, whose arrival distracts all the men from "their duty" ("Consolazione"). Don Silvestro asks for God's help, who performs another miracle, boosting the manhood of Toto in order to distract Consolazione.

When Toto announces he has fallen in love with Consolazione and wants to marry her and take her with him on the ark when it sails, the village people are not accepting, but Don Silvestro reminds them of the meaning of Aggiungi un posto a tavola, to be able to forgive. The villagers are still not back at building the ark, but thanks to Clementina everyone restart working on the ark, supporting each other like little ants ("Una formica è solo una formica").

Act one ends with everyone discovering that the Mayor has gone missing.

Act 2

The Mayor is spotted hiding behind the statue of San Crispino, patron saint of the village, hiding from everyone and especially Ortensia, his wife. Because of his allergy to candles he's almost found out by Consolazione, whom he tricks pretending to be the voice of San Crispino. Silvestro starts to board everyone on the ark that night, when Clementina arrives to declare her love for him ("Peccato che sia peccato, reprise"), but he dismisses her because he has to remain celibate due to his ecclesiastical vows ("Clementina"). In a moment of weakness Silvestro kisses Clementina and confesses this to God, who shares to be against celibacy as well, as his "closest collaborators" should be the first to be able to marry and have children. After the flood Silvestro will be able to be with Clementina.

Toto and Consolazione are getting married ("Ti voglio"), when the Mayor is found and kept in the canonica. The ark is ready to leave, but the cardinal suddenly arrives, trying to convince the villagers not to believe in Silvestro and get off the ark.

The flood starts and everyone tries to get back on the ark, but in vain. Silvestro asks God to stop the rain and save everyone, to which request God reluctantly says yes. Everyone is celebrating with a big meal and they add a place at the table for God, joining them in the shape of a dove ("Aggiungi un posto a tavola - finale").

Musical numbers

Act I

Act II

Principal casts

Characters1st Italian EditionMadridArgentina3rd Italian EditionMexico8th Italian Edition
197419771979199020072024
Don Silvestro Johnny Dorelli Lorenzo Valverde José Ángel Trelles Johnny Dorelli Jaime Camil

Ernesto D'Alessio

Giovanni Scifoni
Consolazione Bice Valori Lia UyaGraciela Pal Alida Chelli Maria Filippini Lorella Cuccarini
Mayor Crispino Paolo Panelli Franz Johan Carlo Croccolo Patrick CastilloMarco Simeoli
ClementinaDaniela GoggiMaría ElíasVicky BuchinoTania Piattella Maria Ines Guerra Sofia Panizzi
TotoUgo Maria Morosi Manuel Zarzo Charly Diez Gómez Adriano Pappalardo Francesco Zaccaro
OrtensiaChristyJosefina GüellChristy Francesca Nunzi
CardinaleCarlo PiantadosiFranco RicchioCarlo PiantadosiAlessandro Di Giulio
God's voice Renato Turi José Guardiola Luis Tasca Riccardo Garrone Enzo Garinei

International productions

Spain

A Spanish production of the show was staged in 1977 at the Teatro Monumental of Madrid with the same crew of the Italian version, Giulio Coltellacci for scenography and costumes, Gino Landi was the choreographer and Garinei and Giovannini directed the show. In the cast Franz Johan as the Mayor, Crispín, Lia Uya as Consuelo (Consolazione), Lorenzo Valverde as Don Silvestre (Don Silvestro), Manuel Zarzo as Totó, María Elías as Clementina, Josefina Güell as Hortensia (Ortensia), Franco Ricchio as the Cardinale and José Guardiola as the voice of God.

Two more versions were produced in Spain, in 1995 at the Teatro Calderón in Madrid, led by Carlos Marín as Don Silvestre, and one in 2004 in Valencia with Gisela, Paco Morales, Mamen García and José Luis Gago. [2]

Mexico

Known as El diluvio que viene (The Coming Deluge), it premiered in 1977 and lasted until 1981, with over 1,800 performances. Between its actors, Manolo Fabregas led the cast as Don Silvestro.

The cast of the more recent version of the show in 2007 included Jaime Camil as Don Silvestre, María Filippini as Consuelo (Consolazione), Maria Ines Guerra in the role of Clementina and Patrick Castillo, who played the same role in the original version, as the Mayor. [3] This version of the show played at the theater of San Rafael. Camil was then replaced by Ernesto D'Alessio.

The Association of Theatre Critics and Journalists XXV awarded María Inés Guerra as Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Clementina, she also won a "Bravo Award" in the same category. The show also won the "Lady of Victory Award" (2007) for Foreign Musical, Best Ensemble and Musical Co-actor (Patricio Castillo), Newcomer (Enrique de la Riva), Co-actriz (Mary Filippini), Actor in a Musical (Jaime Camil). El Diluvio que Viene closed after a great success after eight months and 2,639 performances. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Sordi</span> Italian actor (1920–2003)

Alberto Sordi was an Italian actor, comedian, voice dubber, director, singer, composer and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nino Manfredi</span> Italian actor, director, screenwriter, comedian and singer

Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gino Cervi</span> Italian actor (1901–1974)

Luigi Cervi, better known as Gino Cervi, was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character Don Camillo (1952–1965), and police detective Jules Maigret on the television series Le inchieste del commissario Maigret (1964–1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Marín</span> Spanish singer (1968–2021)

Carlos Marín Menchero was a Spanish baritone and a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, which has sold over 28 million records worldwide.

David Forrest is a pen-name used by English novelists Robert Forrest-Webb and David Eliades to write four books, And to My Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game (1969), The Great Dinosaur Robbery (1970), After Me, the Deluge (1972), and The Undertaker's Dozen (1974). These books featured tight plotlines and riotous humor, touching at the same time some serious topics: The Great Dinosaur Robbery and Nephew deal with the Cold War, After Me, the Deluge with religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaime Camil</span> Mexican actor (born 1973)

Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama is a Mexican actor, singer and television personality. He is best known for his roles as Fernando Mendiola in La Fea Más Bella and Rogelio de la Vega in Jane the Virgin, the latter of which brought him two nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armando Trovajoli</span> Italian composer (1917–2013)

Armando Trovajoli was an Italian film composer and pianist with over 300 credits as composer and/or conductor, many of them jazz scores for exploitation films of the Commedia all'italiana genre. He collaborated with Vittorio De Sica on a number of projects, including one segment of Boccaccio '70. Trovajoli was also the author of several Italian musicals: among them, Rugantino and Aggiungi un posto a tavola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariangela Melato</span> Italian actress (1941–2013)

Mariangela Caterina Melato, sometimes billed as Maria Angela Melato, was an Italian actress. She is most remembered for her roles in films of director Lina Wertmüller, including The Seduction of Mimi (1972), Love and Anarchy (1973), and Swept Away (1974). In cinema, she also appeared in films of Claude Chabrol, Elio Petri and Vittorio De Sica, and on stage in productions by Dario Fo, Luchino Visconti and Luca Ronconi. Her roles in English-language films include the 1980 science fiction film Flash Gordon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">María Inés</span> Mexican television host and singer (born 1983)

María Inés Guerra Núñez, commonly known as María Inés Guerra, is a Mexican TV hostess and singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Dorelli</span> Italian actor, singer and television host

Giorgio Guidi, known professionally as Johnny Dorelli, is an Italian actor, singer and television host.

Pietro Garinei was an Italian playwright, actor, and songwriter. Brother of Enzo Garinei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renato Rascel</span> Italian actor (1912–1991)

Renato Ranucci, known by the stage name Renato Rascel, was an Italian film actor and singer. He appeared in 50 films between 1942 and 1972. He represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 with the song "Romantica", which tied for eighth place out of thirteen entries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giacomo Furia</span> Italian actor (1925–2015)

Giacomo Matteo Furia was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1948 and 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adabel Guerrero</span> Ukrainian-Argentine burlesque dancer and vedette (born 1978)

Adabel Anahí Guerrero Melachenko, better known simply as Adabel Guerrero, is an Argentine professional theater and burlesque dancer, actress, and supervedette, who has also dabbled as a model and as a singer in several television, magazine and theater appearances. Guerrero has worked as a television co-hostess and panelist, and is currently a panelist on El Chimentero 3.0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriele Tinti (actor)</span> Italian actor (1932–1991)

Gabriele Tinti was an Italian actor who was married to actress and model Laura Gemser.

Arianna Martina Bergamaschi, also known mononymously as Arianna, is an Italian singer, songwriter, stage actress and television presenter. She began her career when she was 7 years old, she started participating in numerous ad campaigns, and while still very young, participated in the TV shows "Fantastico 2" and "Fantastico 3", and in the 1989 Rai drama "I Promessi Sposi" and began studying dance with duo Brian and Garrison.

Osvaldo Cattone was an Argentine actor who lived for over three decades in Peru and was considered one of the pioneer theater directors and actors of Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentina Cenni</span> Italian actress (born 1982)

Valentina Cenni is an Italian artist and actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renato Turi</span> Italian actor and voice actor

Renato Turi was an Italian actor and voice actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Ángel Trelles</span> Argentine singer (1947–2022)

José Ángel Trelles was an Argentine singer, composer, and stage actor.

References

  1. ↑ "Beyond the Rainbow – The Guide to Musical Theatre – Show Synopsis". guidetomusicaltheatre.com. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ↑ EP (10 December 2004). "El teatro Olympia estrena el musical 'El diluvio que viene'". El País (in Spanish). ISSN   1134-6582 . Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Torreón, El Siglo de (1 September 2007). "La prioridad de Jaime Camil es 'el diluvio'". www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "No habrá más 'El diluvio…'". archive.ph. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.