La vedova scaltra (The shrewd widow)

Carlo Goldoni's La vedova scaltra (The Shrewd Widow) is on stage at the Quirino Theater, directed and adapted by Giancarlo Marinelli.

The three-act comedy, written in 1748 and performed the same year, marks the turning point and transition between the improvisation-based commedia dell'arte and the comedy of character; from the theater of masks to the psychologically dominated theater, in which the first aspects of modernity emerge. The third comedy of character, after La donna di garbo (The woman of grace) (1743) and L’uomo prudente (The prudent man) (1748) then, it is the work that established Goldoni's reform of theater.

The protagonist, Rosaura Lombardi, a young and wealthy Venetian widow who wishes to remarry, has four noble suitors of different nationalities: the Englishman Milord Runebif, the Frenchman Monsieur Le Bleau, the Spanish Don Alvaro of Castile, and the Italian Count of Bosco Nero. Each of the four suitors courts her assiduously, leaving Rosaura undecided. So at last she decides to test their feelings, appearing to each of them disguised as an attractive compatriot, open to a romantic adventure. However, the only one of the four who proves faithful to her is the Italian count; the noblewoman therefore decides to marry him. The play ends with Runebif and Le Bleau congratulating the Count, while Don Alvaro leaves in a huff.

The play is thus a comic machine that speaks to us of women's emancipation and liberation, themes that are more relevant than ever in these times.

With Caterina Murino, Mino Manni, Patrizio Cigliano, and the friendly vocal participation of Jean Reno. Produced by Compagnia Molière, Teatro Quirino, and Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens.

Photo: Quirino Theater Facebook official page