Sotterraneo set ‘Il Signor Bruschino’ inside a made-up theme park called Rossiniland, within which the works by the famous composer from Pesaro are staged as playful attractions. In this context, Foppa’s libretto songs explode into pop and contemporary culture. Above all, the profound nature of the playful farce in which lies and identities are swapped as a means used by the characters to create a network of constant misunderstandings between true and false, truth and falsification.

Inside a theme park – a commodity-centred and consumerist universe – less evident aspects of the plot are highlighted. For instance, the continuous trading and bargaining, the direct interests behind almost all of this libretto’s characters. Their main aim is to deceive each other and get what they are looking for – be it money, honor, or a good match. Inside Rossiniland, singers embody the characters, yet they can get out of them at any given time – just as in a massive hystorical reenactment. Inside Rossiniland, the 19th century and the year 2000 unfold at the same time with Rossini’s music playing in the background, in one era and the other. Inside Rossiniland, we eventually come across an unlikely but not impossible scenario – not too far from some of those scenarios characteristic of today’s arts and their a state of deep confusion, linked to the performance and the entertainment world.

Credits

Farsa giocosa by Giuseppe Foppa
Critical Edition by Fondazione Rossini
in collaboration with Casa Ricordi
edited by Arrigo Gazzaniga