La vedova Socrate
Concluded
©Lorenzo Piano
Cancelled Event
A passing of the baton between two grande dames of the stage: Lella Costa accepts the invitation from Franca Valeri to perform one of her most famous works, La vedova Socrate. The focus is on Santippe, a meticulous, sharp-witted and provocative woman, an unforgettable character.
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Teatro Grassi
Before celebrating her 100th birthday on 31 July, 2020, Franca Valeri, the grand dame of Italian Theatre, had asked Lella Costa to pick up the baton for her and play Santippe, the lead role in the play La vedova Socrate that she wrote in 2003. The play made its debut at the Teatro Greco in Syracuse and followed a summer tour - including a performance at the Piccolo, at the Chiostro Nina Vinchi, on the same day as the artist’s birthday - during which, unfortunately, Franca Valeri died. As was her wish, her “widow” of the title lives on, enjoying the emotional applause of the many theatre audiences that have seen the performance.
The work is a concentration of corrosive irony and social analysis, disenchanted revenge and caustic narration. Freely inspired by The Death of Socrates written by the Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt and created on the suggestion of Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, it is set in the antiques shop run by Santippe, the wife of the philosopher, described by historians as one of the most insupportable women in ancient history.
“Patroni Griffi had read the piece by Dürrenmatt and wondered if I could work on it. I was intrigued by the idea of disproving this myth that Santippe was nothing more than a kind of shrew - explained Franca Valeri - I portray her as a wife, just like many others, with a daily life full of ups and downs. An intelligent woman who also sees her husband’s many defects Santippe figures little in Dürrenmatt’s work. As a result, in order to get to know her better, I gathered information on Socrates, and I read Plato’s Dialogues. The idea I formed was of a strong woman how had lived together with a man who we consider to be extraordinary but who for her was simply a husband, and a boring one at that”.
In the play, she gets off her chest all that she has had to put up with from Socrates’ friends, such as Aristophanes and Alcibiades, a gang of good for nothings, most of all Plato, the main target in the play. She cannot stand the fact that he had profited from her husband’s ideas, even though he copied them so faithfully. She derides him as a simple copycat, and even nurtures the idea of asking him for royalties. In the end, she decides that she can write a dialogue, but one featuring women. It is in fact above all women who have a voice here. Not even the death of her consort can deny her of the right to pass honest judgement on the behaviour of husbands, men in general, and even those women that deceive the opposite sex. There is no need, she says, to study the true nature of one’s husband, one needs only to accept him as he is, both alive and dead. Besides, “the death of a husband is a thing of such suffering that no woman would go without”.
Duration: The play is currently in production
Before celebrating her 100th birthday on 31 July, 2020, Franca Valeri, the grand dame of Italian Theatre, had asked Lella Costa to pick up the baton for her and play Santippe, the lead role in the play La vedova Socrate that she wrote in 2003. The play made its debut at the Teatro Greco in Syracuse and followed a summer tour - including a performance at the Piccolo, at the Chiostro Nina Vinchi, on the same day as the artist’s birthday - during which, unfortunately, Franca Valeri died. As was her wish, her “widow” of the title lives on, enjoying the emotional applause of the many theatre audiences that have seen the performance.
The work is a concentration of corrosive irony and social analysis, disenchanted revenge and caustic narration. Freely inspired by The Death of Socrates written by the Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt and created on the suggestion of Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, it is set in the antiques shop run by Santippe, the wife of the philosopher, described by historians as one of the most insupportable women in ancient history.
“Patroni Griffi had read the piece by Dürrenmatt and wondered if I could work on it. I was intrigued by the idea of disproving this myth that Santippe was nothing more than a kind of shrew - explained Franca Valeri - I portray her as a wife, just like many others, with a daily life full of ups and downs. An intelligent woman who also sees her husband’s many defects Santippe figures little in Dürrenmatt’s work. As a result, in order to get to know her better, I gathered information on Socrates, and I read Plato’s Dialogues. The idea I formed was of a strong woman how had lived together with a man who we consider to be extraordinary but who for her was simply a husband, and a boring one at that”.
In the play, she gets off her chest all that she has had to put up with from Socrates’ friends, such as Aristophanes and Alcibiades, a gang of good for nothings, most of all Plato, the main target in the play. She cannot stand the fact that he had profited from her husband’s ideas, even though he copied them so faithfully. She derides him as a simple copycat, and even nurtures the idea of asking him for royalties. In the end, she decides that she can write a dialogue, but one featuring women. It is in fact above all women who have a voice here. Not even the death of her consort can deny her of the right to pass honest judgement on the behaviour of husbands, men in general, and even those women that deceive the opposite sex. There is no need, she says, to study the true nature of one’s husband, one needs only to accept him as he is, both alive and dead. Besides, “the death of a husband is a thing of such suffering that no woman would go without”.
Duration: The play is currently in production
Credits
Piccolo Teatro Grassi
from 10 to 19 November 2020
La vedova Socrate
by Franca Valeri
Freely inspired by "The Death of Socrates" by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
with the kind permission of Diogenes Verlag AG
directed by Stefania Bonfadelli
with Lella Costa
a Centro Teatrale Bresciano production
project by Mismaonda
Stalls: Full price € 33
Balcony: Full price € 26
Where and when to purchase tickets
It is possible to purchase tickets for programmed performances taking place from September to December and use vouchers as payment.
No subscriptions schemes are available for the aforementioned performances.
piccoloteatro.org
It is possible to purchase full-price and discounted tickets online. Tickets for all productions for the current season can be purchased up to one hour before the beginning of scheduled performances. Purchased tickets are sent by email at the moment of purchase and are available on the user’s personal profile. Tickets can be purchased with credit card.
Box office line +39 02.42.411.889
From Monday to Saturday from 9.45 a.m.to 6.45 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the event of performances on bank holidays, the service is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It is possible to purchase full-price or discounted tickets (for under -26 and over -65).
Purchased tickets are sent by email.
Access to the auditorium with reduced-price tickets is subject to verification by the theatre personnel.
Payment can be made by credit card (with the exception of American Express).
Piccolo Teatro Strehler box office
The Teatro Strehler box office (L. go Greppi, 1 – Metro M2 station Lanza) observes the following opening hours: from Monday to Saturday 9.45 a.m. to 6.45 p.m.; Sundays 1 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.; closed on Sundays and bank holidays.
It is possible to purchase full-price or discounted tickets (for under -26 and over -65). Access to the auditorium with reduced-price tickets is subject to verification by the theatre personnel.
For the final hour before the beginning of a performance, the box office is available exclusively for the production that is due to begin.
Teatro Grassi and Teatro Studio Melato box offices
The Teatro Grassi and Teatro Studio Melato box offices are open solely on the day of performances for one hour before the beginning of the programmed performance.
For artistic reasons, access to the auditorium is not permitted once the performance has started. You may take your seat during any intervals.
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• In order to avoid queues and crowing, spectators are invited to arrive at the place of performance in good time.
• It is possible to access the auditorium by showing your ticket directly from your smartphone.
• Spectators with a body temperature equal to or higher than 37.5°C will not be allowed access to the performance and will have the right to a refund for their ticket. The personnel at the entrance will have dedicated thermal scanners for measuring temperature.
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For information on tickets and the use of vouchers for organised groups, please contact the Office for Public Promotion and Cultural Proposals on +39 02 72 333 216 email: promozione.pubblico@piccoloteatromilano.it
