© Zani-Casadio
Compagnia teatrale Menoventi
Il defunto odiava i pettegolezzi
mise en scene of the book of the same name by Serena Vitale (Adelphi Edizioni, 2015)
concept Consuelo Battiston and Gianni Farina
direction, sound and lighting design Gianni Farina
costumes Elisa Alberghi and Consuelo Battiston
with Consuelo Battiston, Tamara Balducci, Leonardo Bianconi, Federica Garavaglia, Mauro Milone
organisation and communication Maria Donnoli
artwork Marco Smacchia
coproduction E Production / Menoventi, Ravenna Festival, Operaestate Festival Veneto
To this day, Vladimir Mayakovsky’s death probably remains the most exciting cold case in Russian literature. On April 14, 1930, the leading poet of the Russian Revolution shot himself through the heart, for reasons that were never clarified. Political pressure? Intellectual isolation? A broken heart? Serena Vitale, one of the most important Italian Slavists, has written a successful book on this mystery, The Deceased Hated Gossip, whose title quotes a famous line from the poet’s suicide note. Vitale’s complex investigation has inspired Menoventi, who now adapt for the stage the poet’s mysterious end. They will propose a very peculiar work, based on the interplay of noir and crime story, where hypotheses, perspectives and testimonies reflect one another in a fantastic game of mirrors.
