Letters to Bernini

The show Letters to Bernini at the Vascello Theater, directed by Marco Martinelli, takes place entirely on a summer day, August 3, 1667. On stage, in his studio as a sculptor, painter, and architect, the protagonist, the elderly Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the greatest artistic authority of Baroque Rome, is furious with Francesca Bresciani, a lapis lazuli carver who worked for him in the Fabbrica di San Pietro and who now accuses him, in front of the cardinals, of not paying her a fair price for her work.

In his fury at the woman, Bernini evokes, in his monologue, "in absentia”, the shadow of his hated rival, Francesco Borromini, the brilliant Ticino architect, as well as those of his students, whom Bernini turns to, from time to time, arguing with them, posing them, having them perform in the comedies he wrote and directed, so that they learn to embody the feelings they will translate into marble. As soon as the unexpected news of Borromini's suicide arrives, however, all Bernini's fury gives way to compassion, due to the terrible depression that had gripped his rival in those last years. Overwhelmed by this new feeling, Bernini comes to reconsider the work of his illustrious colleague, recognizing its great value.

Through a dramaturgy in which the protagonist's voice generates presences, figures, and memories on stage, Martinelli's play offers us a portrait of an era.

With Marco Cacciola; conceived by Marco Martinelli, Ermanna Montanari; directed by Marco Martinelli. A co-production between Albe / Ravenna Teatro – Emilia Romagna Teatro ERT / Teatro Nazionale.

Photo: official poster of the event