Putting ‘Don Giovanni’ on a Truck, and Returning Opera to Its Roots
Mr. Bergamo said the OperaCamion was an attempt to break down barriers between downtown Rome
and its more peripheral neighborhoods, as well as the cultural barriers for those who "may be scared of the formality of opera." In many ways, Mr. Cherstich is merely restoring to opera its popular roots, transporting the medium out of stately theaters where ticket costs are prohibitive for most, and onto the streets for "a public that is not yet a public," Mr. Cherstich said.
Fabio Cherstich said that This place is really, hmm, rock ’n’ roll,
Captivating videos by the artist Gianluigi Toccafondo set the opera in a Las Vegas-type amusement park, a place of "entertainment
and artifice," according to Mr. Toccafondo, who designed the production while Mr. Cherstich directed it.
OperaCamion — which began last year with a coproduction of Rossini’s "Barber of Seville"
by the opera houses of Rome and Palermo — was conceived in that same spirit.
Teatro made that The difference is that the rich can go on holiday, and those who can’t are destined to solitude.
Carlo Fuortes, the superintendent of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, which produced the project, said the theater was "doing everything possible" to "lower the average age
and increase the spectators." Those under 26 have access to specially discounted 15-euro tickets (about $17) to the regular season, "a very positive policy," said Mattia Santilli, 26, who came to "Don Giovanni" with a friend, Chiara Da Rold, 24.
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDOJULY 4, 2017
ROME — On a steamy evening in late June, Lisa Scen, a retired cook of inscrutable age, donned a simple beige dress
and glittery earrings and prepared to go to her first night at the opera.
