{"id":99033,"date":"2023-09-11T08:16:38","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T12:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=99033"},"modified":"2023-09-12T07:04:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T11:04:09","slug":"scrutiny-stratfords-grand-magic-does-justice-to-de-filippos-unique-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/09\/11\/scrutiny-stratfords-grand-magic-does-justice-to-de-filippos-unique-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Stratford\u2019s Grand Magic Does Justice To De Filippo\u2019s Unique Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sarah Orenstein (left) as Zaira Marvuglia and Geraint Wyn Davies as Otto Marvuglia with members of the company in Grand Magic (Photo: David Hou)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stratford Festival 2023\/Grand Magic by Eduardo De Filippo, new adaptation by John Murrell and Donato Santeramo, directed by Antoni Cimolino, Tom Patterson Theatre, May 6 to Sept. 29. Tickets here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Of all the offerings at Stratford this year, I suspect that Grand Magic had the least draw. A play by a virtually unknown Italian playwright about a magician \u2014 not exactly compelling stuff. I, however, was absolutely thrilled about the playbill.<\/p>\n

Playwright Eduardo De Filippo<\/h3>\n

You may think you don\u2019t know Eduardo De Filippo, but you do.<\/p>\n

People of a certain age would certainly be familiar with Vittorio De Sica\u2019s wonderful 1964 movie, Marriage Italian Style, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, based on De Filippo\u2019s play Filumena Marturano. Some of you might actually have seen that play in translation because it has had several Canadian productions, including one at Stratford in 1997, or you might have attended De Filippo\u2019s Napoli Milionaria that Stratford mounted in 2018.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, I was excited about Grand Magic because I happen to think that Eduardo De Filippo (1900-1984) is a brilliant writer (as well as an actor, director, and screenwriter). He is certainly lionized in his own country, where he is simply known at Eduardo, and where he was made a Senatore a Vita (Senator For Life) by the Italian government in recognition for his contributions to the Italian Republic. Clearly, he is regarded as one of the greatest Italian playwrights who ever lived.<\/p>\n

The best thing about a De Filippo play is that you never know where the plot is going to go. Nothing about his writing is predictable. I also love the complex characters he creates. He holds your interest until the end, because you have no idea about the ending he is going to give us. As well, an important point about his writing is that his comedies contain the seeds of tragedy. These are plays of substance and consequence.<\/p>\n