The Extraordinary Adventures of “Puss in Boots” in the version of Winter Theater, todaySunday 29 January, at 6pm to the Intrepid Monelli Theatre Of Cagliari for the fourth appointment with the XX edition of “The Theater of Wonders”, the historic review dedicated to young people and families organized by the Actores Alidos Theater with the artistic direction of Gianfranco Angeli.
The theatrical transposition of the famous fairy tale by Charles Perrault, adapted and directed by Giuseppe Ligios, tells the fantastic story of the miller’s son and his talking cat, who landed at the king’s court: in the spotlight Antonello Foddis, Fabio Caragliu and Giuseppe himself Ligios, lend a face and voice to the characters, for a contemporary reinterpretation of the novel that belongs to the popular imagination of Europe – and beyond.
The plot is well known: the young man, the youngest of three children, who received a cat as his only inheritance upon his father’s death (and the others shared everything else), while disconsolately meditating on his future, he discovers that the animal is endowed with unexpected abilities and will be able, according to him, to make his fortune. Between ingenious expedients and imaginative lies, the rapid social ascent of the self-styled begins Marquess of Carabas: transformed from propertyless, without art or part, into a rich nobleman, owner of lands and castles, he even comes to hope of marrying the princess.
Almost a male variant of the Cinderella fairy tale, but in the show of Joseph Ligios some current notes are inserted: «while in the original version good looks and elegant clothes are enough for a father to give, all too easily, the hand of his daughter to a perfect stranger, in this transposition we do without princesses to leave room for an adventurous plot and a King pretending to be foolish to test the honesty of his young subject and his Cat”… with a surprise ending.
A classic fairy tale, which dates back perhaps to the sixteenth century, with the story of “Constantine Fortunatus”included in the collection titled “The Pleasant Nights” by Giovanni Francesco Straparola, followed by the most famous version by Giambattista Basile, author of “Lo cunto de li cunti”; Charles Perrault narrates the exploits of “Le Chat Botte” neither “Les Contes de ma mère l’Oye”, and the story also appears in the Brothers Grimm books. In the age of Romanticism, Ludwig Tieck made a parody of it, in his satirical style and the theme also recently resurfaces in the stories of Angela Carter.
A fun and engaging, even instructive, fairy tale that contains magical and initiatory elements starting from the enigmatic figure of the talking cat who manages to overturn the fate of a young orphan, with no prospects (because what little he knew, linked to his miller business, with no more mill or animals, it would not have allowed him to make ends meet), with the alternative of starving to death or perhaps migrating and looking for work elsewhere. That intelligent and astute, even mischievous feline manages with its stratagems to transform its master into an elegant gentleman, perhaps favored by the latter’s good looks, once cleaned up, dressed in a proper way, coiffed and perfumed as is appropriate, so much so that even the sovereign – in a gesture of gratitude – does not disdain to welcome him to court. In short, in the world of fairy tales, as in reality, appearances are often deceiving and that self-styled Marquis of Carabas, perhaps mild-mannered and kind-hearted, certainly a little naive but smart enough to seize the opportunity offered to him by fate, does not he disfigures much among the nobility of the kingdom: it is not surprising that even the princess is conquered by him and agrees to marry him, on the recommendation of her parent, in the best tradition that leads to the inevitable “and they all lived happily ever after”.
In the modern theatrical transposition signed by Giuseppe Ligios that happy ending is not so obvious: one can even admit that there are evil “orcs” and it is not so terrible to oust them of their ill-acquired riches, and that the circumstances are favorable to the fulfillment of the illusion so cleverly concocted by the famous Cat… but it is unthinkable that the king, and not even the princess, organize a marriage with a stranger, even if he has a considerable fortune and good credentials (obviously false) not to mention a pleasant appearance. A wise and shrewd sovereign cannot be imprudent and rash enough to entrust his daughter’s future to a perfect stranger, without saying that the decision would, if anything, be up to the interested party, and here is the Marquis of Carabas and his feline friend find themselves grappling with a new dilemma, a much more difficult test: to persuade His Majesty of their good faith and their sincerity.
The theme of love – and consequent wedding party – remains in the background: whether or not the young man will have the opportunity to fall in love with the princess and win her heart, and therefore obtain her hand according to ancient customs, viewers will be able to find out, or imagine it and dream it… with open eyes together with the actors, getting involved in the story and reliving it together with the protagonists of this original rewriting of the fairy tale, which retains all its charm and fantastic atmosphere, with a touch of irony and… healthy realism .
Ticket: single place €5. Subscriptions: 4 shows €15, 8 shows €30. Info and reservations: 070.828331 – 377.7095932.
Today on stage in Cagliari “The Puss in Boots” of the Teatro d’Inverno – S&H Magazine