In the few remaining barbershops in the provinces today, there are rectangular mirrors fogged by time and covered with a web of scratches, old creaky chairs, rusty tools, the smell of hair pomade, and impatient customers silently waiting their turn. But just half a century ago, the barbershop was nothing less than the favorite meeting place for gentlemen. It was a discreet place where they could freely discuss their business and ideas. There was music, coffee, and the trusted barber’s bizarre anecdotes. In short, the barbershop was the nerve center of the town.
The main idea behind the show is to recreate the atmosphere of those not-too-distant times when the barber sang, played music, served drinks, gave advice… in a word, entertained his guests. And, of course, he cut hair and shaved beards. In the play, the stage is nothing more than the barbershop itself, animated by the three aspiring barbers, and the audience is a large waiting room. The audience all around defines the spatial boundaries and ultimately becomes an integral part of the room itself, that is, of the show.
The show plays on the time spent waiting. Barbers wait for customers, passing the time by engaging in unusual displays of skill. Spectators also wait, and ultimately, they can only ‘fear the worst’. This waiting masks a deeper identity crisis, since ‘being a barber’ means ‘having a customer’, just as ‘being an actor’ means ‘having an audience’.
Shamans and doctors, true artists of the scalp determined to cure any problem with lotion, barbers/musicians proudly flaunt their gestural talent… certain that the customer will leave clean and smooth, regenerated in body and elevated in spirit.
Duration: 70 min.
Recommended age: 7 years and up
Teatro Necessario
NUOVA BARBERIA CARLONI
by Mario Gumina and Teatro Necessario
with Leonardo Adorni, Jacopo Maria Bianchini, Alessandro Mori
directed by Mario Gumina
costumes by Patrizia Caggiati
set painter Patrizio Dall’Argine
set design Lab TbB – Paolo Romanini
lighting Dario Andreoli
choreography assistant Fabrizio Giannini
organization Daisy Vanicelli
produced by Teatro Necessario
in collaboration with Danzarte progetto Next – Oltre il Palcoscenico, Regione Lombardia
thanks to Solares Fondazione delle Arti/Teatro delle Briciole
SHOW TIMES
December 26 at 8:30 p.m.
December 27 at 6:00 p.m.
December 28 at 4:00 p.m.
