{"id":123008,"date":"2026-03-31T13:11:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=123008"},"modified":"2026-03-31T17:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:10:21","slug":"preview-neapolitan-ice-cream-delicious-new-musical-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/31\/preview-neapolitan-ice-cream-delicious-new-musical-making\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Neapolitan Ice Cream: A Delicious New Musical In The Making"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L-R: Accordionist Carmen Spada; soprano Reilly Bianchi Nelson; guitarist Tonino Chiodo (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A musical about ice cream based on true events and packed with iconic Italian folk tunes we all recognize \u2014 can it get sweeter than that?<\/p>\n

Who is Loredana Cunti?<\/h3>\n

Loredana is a self-described nine-year-old who doesn\u2019t sit still, who has boundless imagination and infinite energy to burn.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t until her 40s that she started writing children\u2019s books.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Neapolitan Ice Cream: The Musical is her latest venture. How did a children\u2019s book author with no musical training end up creating a musical?<\/p>\n

LV spoke with Loredana about what inspired her to leap into this new territory.<\/p>\n

The Story<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The idea of Italian women crossing the pond to marry their love, like her own mother did, has always intrigued her.<\/p>\n

In this story, Caterina sets out from the port of Naples to join her fianc\u00e9 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\u2019s precious cocoa, she begins making ice cream, transforming her struggles into sweetness.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Musical<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The musical is a hit parade of beloved tunes like \u201cO Sole Mio\u201d and \u201cTorna a Surriento.\u201d Operatic arias like \u201cO Mio Babbino Caro\u201d from Puccini\u2019s Gianni Schicchi, also make appearances.<\/p>\n

Why the Musical is Named after Neapolitan Ice Cream<\/h3>\n

As she was developing the story, it came to Loredana that the colours of Neapolitan ice cream are a metaphor for the immigrant experience \u2014 pink is for love, white is the blank page where dreams develop, and brown represents bitter, hard times.<\/p>\n

\u201cNeapolitan 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Evolving Piece of Work<\/h3>\n

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<\/strong> as Caterina telling the story of her life in a monologue. She will be accompanied on the guitar by Tonino Chiodo<\/strong> and Carmen Spada<\/strong> on the accordion.<\/p>\n

The production is a work in progress and not yet in its fullly staged version. Loredana\u2019s completed libretto has dialogues, with parts for Caterina\u2019s father, grandmother, fianc\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h3>\n

Loredana says that Neapolitan Ice Cream is a love letter to the Italian immigrant experience and a cultural bridge to the next generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’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,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

She also hopes the musical will spark conversations about other immigrant experiences that are so relevant to the world we live in today.<\/p>\n