On Saturday, October 3rd and Sunday, October 4th, the Quirino Theatre presents Il Viaggio di Francesco (Francis's journey),a show written and directed by Pino Quartullo, an exceptionally important cultural event which falls exactly eight hundred years after the death of Saint Francis - in 1226 - on the very same days of the week. The show, written and directed by Pino Quartullo, transcends traditional theater to become a universal spiritual and human experience.
The play, loosely based on Eloi Leclerc's novel The Wisdom of a Poor Man, Davide Rondoni's reflections entitled The Wound, the Joy, from Franciscan Sources, and above all a story by the young poet Gabriele Galloni entitled The Last Night of Francis, breaks away from hagiographic stereotypes to focus instead on his fragility, his solitude, and emphasizing his way of living his faith, which was at times extreme and surprising: a blend of purity and goodness, strength and impetus.
At the centre of the show, we see the protagonist returning from the Holy Land, where he went to try to build a bridge of peace between different religions. However, his initial group of companions, now an order of thousands of friars, struggle to see Francis as their charismatic role model, partly because of the excessive severity of the Rule he himself imposed. And so the Saint, overcome by the illness that would soon lead to his death, retreats with a few friars to a hermitage hidden among the rugged mountains of La Verna to rediscover silence and closeness to God, an experience of the darkness of faith about which little is known. Here, Francis comes into contact with a nature he hopes will be more generous, until he reaches the moment of pain on the cross, through the stigmata, which will lead him to the creation of the Canticle of the Creatures (officially recognized as the first literary work in the Italian vernacular). This is the moment of human doubt: that of having misunderstood God's unbearable silence. What emerges is a powerful figure of saint, full of human energy, contradictions, and unfathomable depths, capable of moving believers and nonbelievers alike. A figure who has left a legacy in many aspects of modern society, one of hope and humanity in a world torn apart by divisions and conflicts like never before.
An evocative play of lights highlights the various moments of the show, enhancing the most important scenes, together with the music (curated by the director himself), which constantly accompanies the entire story, drawing from the cinematographic repertoire, pop and popular music, with many moments of singing, intersecting original pieces by Roberto Laneri and Gaetano Marsico (one of the actors of the company).
The cast is made up of both established and emerging young actors who already boast extensive professional experience in fields beyond the theater – Giulio Tropea: Saint Francis; Roberto Fazioli: Dissident Friar, Christ, Satan's Messenger, Brother Tancredi, Demon; Massimiliano Viola Grosso: Brother Leo; Gaetano Marsico: Brother Masseo; Simone Sabia: Brother Rufino; Giorgio Melone: Brother Juniper, Young Priest; Rachele Sarti: Saint Clare, Death.
An experienced author, actor, and director, a graduate of the Silvio D'Amico Academy and Gigi Proietti's Laboratory, Pino Quartullo is one of the most versatile figures on the Italian scene. Nominated for an Oscar in 1987 for the short film EXIT, and starring in cult films such as Il marchese del Grillo (The Marquis of Grillo), he has worked with Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi, and Margherita Buy. The Italian voice of Jim Carrey and director of the Teatro Traiano in Civitavecchia for a decade, he continues to direct successful productions, bringing the most important actors on the national scene to the stage.
Photo: official poster of the show
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