INNER VOICES Proves The Exceptional Nature Of Theatre
Peppe Servillo (from left), Toni Servillo and Antonello Cossia star in Piccolo Teatro di Milano’s production of “Inner Voices.” | PHOTO BY FABIO ESPOSITO
Playwright Eduardo De Filippo’s 1948 masterwork Inner Voices returns triumphant in 2013 thanks to the incredible artistic craftsmanship of Piccolo Teatro di Milano which has arrived for a very brief stay at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Part of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs exchange program, Inner Voices will instantly engage you with some of the finest Italian actors to step onto the boards. Inner Voices caused quite the controversy when it premiered during the end of Italy’s fascist reign, though now with time behind it, the story seems more a non-political psychological dramady. De Feilippo’s play explores the fallout when a person’s dream about a murder being committed under his very roof is taken for truth. The dreamer, Alberto Saporito (played to perfection by Toni Servillo, who also serves as director), is so convinced his dream is real, that he calls in the authorities to arrest his neighbors who he envisions is behind this carnage. This all takes place in a small building where everyone’s lives are intertwined with the other. Neighbors are more like extended family (in this case some are family) and where everyone knows each others flaws and foibles. What follows is a study of how societal norms can constrain our most intimate of relationships. Most of this is accomplished through humor, but also through some great dramatic breaks which bring the story together.
This is a cast who works effortlessly together. The dialogue is delivered in Italian with English translation projected on various parts of the stage, but like a great opera, halfway through the production, you become so entranced with the actors that the dialogue is almost secondary.
Exceptional theatre has been and continues to be something that knows no national boarders. Inner Voices is the perfect embodiment of this notion and we are privileged to have these fine actors show us their truth in one of the best productions of the year.
Inner Voices plays through June 29, 2013 at Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater. For more information, please call the box office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com/innervoices. For calendar information please visit www.TheatreInChicago.com