Opera Buffa!
Written & Directed by Maria Cassi & Leonardo Brizzi
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU, 24 W 12th St. NYC
As the daughter of an Italian immigrant, it was refreshing to walk into the Casa Italiana building at NYU to hear the sweet sounds of the Italian language floating through the air into my ear drums. I was greeted by “ciaos” and “buona seras,” instantly transported to Italy right here in Greenwich Village, NYC. As part of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY, the performance I arrived to see was a special one-time presentation. The small stage downstairs was exquisitely simple — a black and shiny pianoforte lived in the right corner, backlit by a warm inviting light. The rest of the skinny stage was bare.
The audience and piano anxiously awaited the entrance of Maria Cassi and Leonardo Brizzi. I must admit that I was a little nervous about understanding the performance, since my Italian is a little rusty. An announcement was made to assure the non-fluent italian speaking audience that although there were no subtitles, Maria Cassi is a communication specialist. My anxiety eased a bit. When the audience was greeted by Maria’s entrance in the back of the house, my anxiety completely subsided. One look at her smiling face accompanied by a big “Buona Sera!” confirmed what the announcement stated. Maria Cassi is an excellent communicator.
Her facial expressions, voice inflection, and physical comedy outshone any doubts of understanding the show. Maria is the epitome of theatre. Her energy is undeniable and unmatchable. I smiled and admired her every moment of the 75 minutes she commanded the stage. Not to mention, she is a pistol. Not only does she make you laugh because of her facial expressions, but when it comes to physical comedy, Ms. Cassi has it nailed down to a science. There were portions of the show she didn’t speak at all.
I watched a one-woman show with the added element of music, provided by Leonardo Brizzi. His fingers glided on the keys, providing Ms. Cassi with the accompaniment required for her booming voice. The two were a team, working off of each other with uncanny finesse. One of my favorite segments of the show was toward the end where Ms. Cassi took on the character of “page turner” for Mr. Brizzi’s sheet music. Mr. Brizzi was playing a very serious piece by Beethoven. Ms. Cassi as the “page turner” was often distracted and failed at turning the pages, which made Mr. Brizzi jump from one section of the piece to the next and back and forth, creating musical comedy gold. Their timing was impeccable.
Maria Cassi’s Opera Buffa! embodied classic slapstick comedy and theatrics, which I was happy to see again. She is a talent unmatched. Cassi may be from Florence, Italy, but in that small theatre in NYC, she made everyone feel simpatico and insieme (alike and together). The culture of her home was expressed through comedy structure but in the end, anyone could relate to the stories Maria told. She, through her art, showed us how small the world can be and how similar we all are, no matter which country we are from. Bravi, Maria and Leonardo. Bravi. I wish this show had more than one performance in the festival.
Produced by Compagnia Maria Cassi
Presented by Kairos Italy Theater along with the Italy-based KIT Italia and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU as part of the 11th anniversary season of the In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY
Reviewed by Amanda Montoni.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on May 8th, 2024. All rights reserved.