Six Nights in Naples
Set entirely on the stage of the Teatro di San Carlo in 1943, and based very loosely on real events, Six Nights In Naples interweaves a story of soldiers and civilians, Brits and Italians, opera and musicals, humour and poignancy.
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Synopsis
In 1943, as British forces enter Naples, they find shelter at the teatro. There, with encouragement from a mysterious American visitor, they create and stage a show for Allied forces – in just six days and six nights.
The soldiers are fortunate to find some interesting characters resident in the opera house, including an Italian diva, her dresser and her dancing daughter. Culture clashes between Brits and Italians, musical theatre and opera, the real world and the supernatural combine in a piece that affectionately sends up theatrical conventions – and throws in some on-off-on love affairs for good measure.
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Extracts from a staged reading at Charing Cross Theatre, London.
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Cast
William Allenby (Salvatore); Abigail Matthews (Fabio); David Habbin (Mander); Daniel Goode (Brown); Alex Green (Wilks); Benedikt de La Bédoyère (Brightwell; Opera Singer); Tom Millen (Owen); Kim Criswell (Lucia); Abigail Matthews (Deborah; Opera Singer); Helen Ward-Jackson (Mariangela); Tim Rogers (O’Leary).
Musicians: Richard Link (piano); Joe Warwick (guitar); Amy Baldwin (bass); Agata Kubik (violin); Jonathan Kitching (percussion). Recorded at Resident Studios, London.
Reviews
Phillips… knows just the right moment to surprise us with a plot development to sustain his yarn spinning along in high gear. The balance between music and dialogue, where one takes over from the other, is judged to a tee.
Musical Theatre Review, November 2015
Information
Book & Lyrics: Eden Phillips
Music & Orchestrations: Richard Link
Performed as a staged reading at Charing Cross Theatre, London.
Official website: www.sixnightsinnaples.com
