Giorgio Panariello at the Teatro Lirico, double sold

Two evenings already sold out for some time at Giorgio Gaber Opera House and the need to add a new date to the Arcimboldi Theatre on March 13. The comedy of George Panariello is preparing to overwhelm Milan with La favola mia, a show born in 2020 with the intention of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the huge television success of Torno Sabato.

«The title has many meanings – says the Tuscan artist a Mi-Tomorrow –: My fairy tale is a song by Renato Zero, therefore a tribute to who allowed me to become popular in front of the general public thanks to his imitation. Then in the text there is a very significant sentence that says behind this mask there is a man and you know it».

Giorgio Panariello expected at the Lyric Theater

What will we see on stage?
«The story of this little boy from Versilia adopted by his grandparents who since childhood wanted to do show and slowly over the years has managed to make his dream come true. He does it through the characters that he created and that I propose to the public. Behind their mask is my story.

What response did you get from the public?
“The show really liked it. It’s one of the nicest I’ve done, very intimate. With a smile I tell the good and bad things that can happen in life. On stage I am myself and people perceive it».

What were your points of reference at the beginning of your career?
«When I started in the 80s and I was an impersonator on the radio there was Gigi Sabani who had revolutionized the art of imitation, he didn’t need to wear make-up, a hat and a pair of glasses was enough for him. Then falling in love with cinema I was fascinated by Roberto Benigni and Carlo Verdone. Right now, if I had to say the legend I miss the most, I would say Gigi Proietti».

When did you realize that your career had finally turned?
«When I received a phone call from Adriano Celentano. I had already tasted success, but mostly locally. The four episodes of Torno Sabato in Montecatini were the turning point. Celentano wanted to greet me and congratulate me».

Is it more difficult to do comedy today?
“It’s much more difficult. Competition has also increased due to the internet. Sometimes I propose things to authors and they tell me that they are already doing similar things on Instagram or Tik Tok. We need to find new ways to stimulate an increasingly demanding public».

Have your characters changed to keep up with the times?
«Sometimes you try to modify them, for example I had thought of Mario the lifeguard who intervened on the environmental issue like Greta Thunberg. I think, however, it is difficult to place them in contexts other than the original ones. Rather than putting an old character in the current situation, it’s better to find a new one like I did with Naomo who was inspired by people like Flavio Briatore and Stefano Ricucci».

What character could be suitable for this historical moment?
«I could invent a quick-change politician or the political leader of the party of the undecided who always appears when polls are taken on elections. He would be a very “Gaberian” character ».

A career divided between theatre, cinema and TV, where is true love?
«In the world of entertainment I like to do many things and deal with everything. The theater is the place where I am most myself and express myself best, a sort of comfort zone».

What future does the so-called generalist TV have?
«Some programs continue to achieve great results and fortunately there is still an audience that watches television, but the ratings of the past can no longer be guaranteed. This brings in less revenue and creates a domino effect that penalizes new ideas. You risk much less because the pool of spectators has shrunk».

After the experience as a judge of Tale and which show could there be as a competitor?
«For the moment I hope to always have my calendar full with the things I love to do. Sometimes, however, great talents are discovered in talent shows».

The Sanremo Festival is approaching, what memories do you have of its conducting in 2006?
«It was an experience that I reevaluated over time. Initially it was a bit traumatic and it took a lot of hair on the stomach ».

Are there any songs that have represented key moments in your career?
«Definitely those of Renato Zero. Then I would say The final countdown by Europe which was the theme song of my first radio show. Finally, I would like to mention two songs by Rino Gaetano: Ma il cielo è semper più blu, which gave the title to one of my TV programs and A mano a mano, which I always listen to in the dressing room ten minutes before going on stage».

A Tuscan who supports Milan, how did it happen?
«Often they think I’m a Fiorentina fan, but I lived in Versilia where there is room for all football faiths. I grew up with my uncles and uncles who were Milan fans and Milan entered my heart. We have enjoyed it more than others, it has given us many joys, but sometimes we also have to suffer».

Zaniolo yes or Zaniolo no?
“Yup. Zaniolo is a boy who needs to know how to manage, but I would like him at Milan. In my opinion he hasn’t fully blossomed yet so it’s better to take him and rather than see him explode in another team. If he manages to unblock himself he is very strong ».

What is your relationship with Milan?
«I come to Milan at least two or three times a week. My fiancée is from Cremona, but she has always lived in Milan. I have my job and base of operations in Rome, but I have many friends in Milan. I have watched it grow and develop. Via Melchiorre Gioia was once a suburb, now it is considered the centre. I’ve seen house prices rise, it’s getting more and more expensive».

Tomorrow and Sunday at 21.00
Giorgio Gaber Opera House
Via Larga 14, Milan
Tickets: sold-out in official sales channels

Giorgio Panariello, from cinema to TV records via Sanremo

Florentine by birth and Versilia by adoption, Giorgio Panariello had already understood as a child that the world of entertainment would be in his destiny. Now that he is 62 years old he can say that he has gained a lot of satisfaction between theatre, cinema and television. The beginnings are in Tuscany in the universe of local TV alongside Carlo Conti until the great success of Torno Sabato in 2000 which officially consecrates him and, thanks to which, he wins both the Telegatto and the TV Oscar as character of the year .

Famous for his eccentric characters from Mario the lifeguard to the child Simone, from Lello Splendor to Naomo, a parody of Flavio Briatore, he quickly became one of the most appreciated faces by the Italian public to the point of being chosen as conductor and artistic director of the Sanremo Festival of 2006. In the cinema he works on various occasions with his friend Leonardo Pieraccioni and with Vincenzo Salemme while he himself is the director of Bagnomaria and At the right moment.

Just together with his friends Pieraccioni and Conti in 2016 he staged the crackling show that takes its name from its three protagonists. In his curriculum also three books, the latest released for Mondadori in 2020, I am my brother, dedicated to his brother who died of hypothermia in 2011. We recently saw him judge Tale and which show, but his first great love remains theater and once again this year he will be on tour in Italian theaters with La favola mia, produced by Friends & Partners.

And for March Panariello announces a new date at the Arcimboldi

«If there was a god of entertainment I would have to thank him every day because on January 28 and 29 the Teatro Lirico in Milan is already sold out. Many people stayed out, so we thought we’d give you and me a nice gift: we’ll be back in Milan on March 13, this time however at Arcimboldi Theatre». This is how Panariello announces the new Milanese date on our Instagram profile.

Not only Panariello, that February at the Teatro Lirico

From 3 to 5 February
NOTRE DAME DE PARIS
MILAN BALLET
Tickets: from 30 euros

From 7 to 12 February
SAMUSA
VIRGINIA RAFFAELE
Tickets: sold-out through official sales channels

February 25th
WALKING MUSICIAN TOUR
FABIO CONCATO
Tickets: from 37 euros

From 28 February to 2 March
EVE’S MOTHER
STEFANIA ROCCA
Tickets: from 29 euros