In Scena! Better Than Broadway
Broadway keeps charging $300 a ticket for productions that feel focus-grouped within an inch of their life. Meanwhile, in Queens, a guy made us emotionally invest in a potato with two screwed-in eyes.
When it comes to theater, New York has the market cornered, but if you’re like me, you’ve been bored to death with the state of Broadway. At a time when New York real estate has never been more valuable, we’re wasting theater rentals on Netflix prequels and a Rocky Horror revival that thinks it’s highbrow art. I can’t roll my eyes hard enough at that production. I’m always on the hunt for something different, experimental, or simply something with passion behind it, which is why I was very excited for the return of the “In Scena!” Theater Festival.
Laura Caparotti, the artistic director of the In Scena! Italian Theater Festival. says, What started as a desire to connect Italian and American artists has become a way to connect Italian artists to each other. We create several occasions where the Italian artists at the Festival can meet and talk (and share food and wine) with American artists and with the other Italian artists in the program. What it generates is knowledge of each other's talents but also collaborations and friendships, which to me is the most beautiful aspect.
A collection of free Italian plays showing at Long Island City’s underrated Culture Lab was the perfect event to reinvigorate my interest in the summer theater season. The venue is tucked away on 46th Ave between 5th St and Vernon Blvd. Whoever designated street names in Queens needs to be put on trial. It’s a great eclectic space for a festival like this.
Going into my first time attending the event, I did have a slight bias given that my family is from Sicily and I happen to speak Italian, so I was already primed to enjoy it. Still, because I’m generally not a fan of one-man or one-woman shows, I think that brought my expectations back to neutral.
I saw three plays during my visit:
Closed for Holiday
Written and performed by Matteo Porru, I was initially extremely skeptical when I realized it was a one-man show. Watching an actor in his 20s play multiple older characters is usually my biggest fear when going to a black box production, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the performance.
I spoke with Matteo after the show and was surprised to find out that he wasn’t actually an actor, but a writer.
Matteo: “I kept saying, ‘I am not an actor, I’m a writer,’ and [my producer] said, ‘Try me.’”
Matteo’s passion for pushing himself creatively was probably the deciding factor in me leaning into the one-man-show aspect of it all. What should have been my living nightmare turned into a very engaging show, which is saying something because at one point Matteo took the open seat next to me and shouted his lines directly at me.
A Tale of a Potato
I can’t lie, this play was 100% the highlight for me. The story revolved around a potato protagonist, brought to life with screwed-in eyes that gave the spud a blank expression you could project any emotion onto.
Written and directed by Angelo Trofa, I caught up with him after the show and asked him the biggest question on my mind: “Perché potato?”
Angelo: “I want to narrate a common story about a normal person. I chose a potato because it’s a very simple vegetable that can represent normality and something concrete. Potatoes are something strong and concrete.”
I find it so amusing that all it takes for any of us to get emotionally invested is a pair of eyes, and next thing you know, you’re rooting for a potato on its quest to save a damsel in distress and climb the corporate ladder.
While watching the show, I kept thinking about this idiot on the A train who tried to convince me that AI art was good because it gave resources to poor artists. I really wish he had been in attendance for this one.
The Town of Cain and Abel
A very dynamic show with an immensely talented actor, this play stood out to me the most because it took you through Italy’s history through the eyes of a child. It was hard not to think of my grandfather and what his life was like growing up in Sicily.
Fabio Banfo, the actor and writer, explained:
“I wanted to do a show on Italian history, but from the perspective of someone who didn’t know what was going on. The story of Cain and Abel being brothers who fought against each other resembles what was happening in Italy at that time.”
The show was dynamic and Banfo’s performance was explosive. It was clear that he had been acting for a long time, and I kept thinking back to Matteo’s performance in Closed for Holiday. One actor was at the beginning of his performing career and the other was at its height.
I think that’s what’s missing from Broadway these days. With the influx of movie stars coming to the stage, it can feel like Luke Evans’ run as Frankenfurter is more of a checkbox than a genuine love of theater, which is probably why he seems so frustrated with the aforementioned production of Rocky Horror.
I had a wonderful time at the festival, and it solidified my frustration with Broadway’s obsession with Netflix adaptations and tone-deaf revivals. I really can’t overstate how much I hate the new Rocky Horror. If you’re looking for something new and fresh, I would definitely suggest looking for theaters outside of 42nd St.