A few weeks ago I saw an ad for a one man show by Roberto Benigni (of La Vita e bella fame) about Dante’s comedy. I had adored similar shows by Fabrice Luchini, so figured I could not go wrong. The tickets were incredibly expensive, so I did not dare buy one for a friend (which proved to be a good move in the end).
The papers talked of a show in French and Italian with “subtitles”….
When I got to the venue, I was surprised to be seated in a sea of mature Italians, who did not speak any French…and when Benigni appeared on stage everyone in the hall jumped to their feet and broke out into thunderous applause…that should have tipped me off…
After a few pirouettes, he picked up the mike and started talking…in Italian and as fast as a machine gun….I figured he would do a short intro and then switch to French…well…no such luck…he kept on speaking Italian at the speed of light for a full 2 hours…He must have been very funny as the audience chuckled often and broke out into serious laughter several times…but I had NO clue.
It turns out that it was one night in Italian and one night partly in French… I obviously landed on the Italian night (I wish the ticket agent had mentioned it!)…and I never saw any subtitles anywhere….
There was no intermission…and I was seated in the middle of a row….so I could not decently leave before the end…
This was a very long evening….
Live and learn.