A musical about ice cream based on true events and packed with iconic Italian folk tunes we all recognize — can it get sweeter than that?
Who is Loredana Cunti?
Loredana is a self-described nine-year-old who doesn’t sit still, who has boundless imagination and infinite energy to burn.
The polymath started out as a multicultural radio DJ, then forayed into the global entertainment industry, with stints working for Polygram and Universal Studios. It wasn’t until her 40s that she started writing children’s books.
She has an award-winning cookbook under her belt, and her book series about space, written in collaboration with Canadian astronaut Dr. Dave Williams, were nominated for several awards. Somewhere along the way, she even earned a pastry chef certification from Le Cordon Bleu Paris.
Neapolitan Ice Cream: The Musical is her latest venture. How did a children’s book author with no musical training end up creating a musical?
LV spoke with Loredana about what inspired her to leap into this new territory.
The Story
A daughter of Italian immigrants who was brought up in a very traditional family, Loredana has been immersed in all things Italian throughout her upbringing. Neapolitan Ice Cream is based on real-life stories of her parents and other immigrants that she has encountered since childhood.
The idea of Italian women crossing the pond to marry their love, like her own mother did, has always intrigued her.
In this story, Caterina sets out from the port of Naples to join her fiancé in Canada. After being deceived by the captain, she finds herself stranded on the rugged shores of Scotland. Armed with little more than a few belongings and a pouch of her Nonna’s precious cocoa, she begins making ice cream, transforming her struggles into sweetness.
Loredana explains that in at the turn of the century, many Italians set sail from Naples to North America in search of a better life. But, some of them were scammed, and were left in Scotland or Wales instead.
As a result, there still remains a sizeable Italian population in Scotland, and gelaterias from the early 1900s are still operating there to this day.
The Musical
Loredana has no musical training, and does not read or write music. But, she grew up listening to Italian folk songs which, thanks to the Three Tenors, have become mainstream outside of Italy. The idea of creating a jukebox musical based on these songs germinated after she watched the musical Mamma Mia four times and fell in love with it.
With the immigrant stories that have been on her mind for decades, she developed the libretto and weaved the traditional songs into the story-telling.
The musical is a hit parade of beloved tunes like “O Sole Mio” and “Torna a Surriento.” Operatic arias like “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, also make appearances.
Why the Musical is Named after Neapolitan Ice Cream
As she was developing the story, it came to Loredana that the colours of Neapolitan ice cream are a metaphor for the immigrant experience — pink is for love, white is the blank page where dreams develop, and brown represents bitter, hard times.
“Neapolitan ice cream is a mix of all those things. Life is dreams, hardship and love. But even during really hard times, we can focus just for a moment on something good, like a scoop of ice cream.”
An Evolving Piece of Work
This upcoming production in April will be the first public performance of the musical. It will be a three-person show, featuring soprano Reilly Bianchi Nelson as Caterina telling the story of her life in a monologue. She will be accompanied on the guitar by Tonino Chiodo and Carmen Spada on the accordion.
The production is a work in progress and not yet in its fullly staged version. Loredana’s completed libretto has dialogues, with parts for Caterina’s father, grandmother, fiancé and new love. Loredana concedes that she is still learning the ropes of musical production. As a work in progress, producing the full version would require more resources and financial supports, something Loredana is actively working on.
Final Thoughts
Loredana says that Neapolitan Ice Cream is a love letter to the Italian immigrant experience and a cultural bridge to the next generation.
“I’m a second generation Italian, my kids are third generation. All these songs, the traditions and our cultural heritage are changing and melding. We’re constantly reinventing what it means to be Italian,” says Loredana. This is why she feels it is so important to tell these stories in order to preserve her heritage for her children and the future generations.
She also hopes the musical will spark conversations about other immigrant experiences that are so relevant to the world we live in today.
- Find show details and tickets for Neapolitan Ice Cream: The Musical April 17, 2026 at Villa Colombo [HERE].
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