La Calandria

by Bernardo Dovizi, Paolo Fossati (Editor)

Rappresentata per la prima volta nel 1513, e dunque con le commedie ariostesche tra i primi esempi del nuovo teatro rinascimentale, La Calandria si colloca subito come modello di composta funzionalità d'azione e di ricerca stilistica. In un teatro che si propone essenzialmente d'essere perfetto meccanismo, e perfetta macchina formale, La Calndria è un piccolo capolavoro.

Genres: Plays

119 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1507

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shockingly hilarious, La Calandra is even more diverting when performed on stage (preferably with everyone wearing codpieces). I have very mixed feelings about this play, mainly for what it has represented for me this year: the very last play to build costumes for in my university career.

These included super long flowy brocade robes using up to 8 meters of fabric, fun head-wear of all shapes and sizes (including a tree-hat! A tree. On a hat!), Italian camo fabric, and of course, the aforementioned codpieces. Costume construction for La Calandra was a semester-long effort for the 4th year class, involving one too many late nights at the studio frantically getting ready for fittings.

On the day after the final fittings, after long months of hard work, we received the news that all representations of La Calandra were going to be cancelled on account classes being suspended and the university preparing to close in face of the current world pandemic. To say that the shock was great would be a major understatement.

I will admit that there was a lot of relief mingled with the shock, because my costumes weren't finished at that point, and I was not ready for another week of frantic late-night sewing to finish everything in time for the show.

So my views towards this play are very, very mixed. And I know that the purpose of this website is to review the literary texts themselves and not your experience at the theater, but really, how much more is one's relationship to a literary piece than the mere experience of reading it! I cannot reflect upon La Calandra without remembering the long months of work, the abrupt interruption of it all, and the wonderfully bittersweet performance put on by the actors, in half-finished costumes on the half-finished set during their last rehearsal.

There is much more to it for me than just the text (which was frankly mediocre).

[Alice D’Ettole · Rating 3 out of 5]

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