The Di Speltas are a terribly nice family: the matriarch would have wished someone somewhat better for her son Calogero than daughter-in-law Marta; when the going gets tough, she insists on her proximity to the grave. Daughter Rosa is frustrated and malevolent, son-in-law Oreste is without self-doubt, nephew Gregorio takes advantage of his auntie well and truly, and Calogero himself is also not exactly the ideal husband. What leads the sports instructor Mariano into this company? This becomes clear with the advent of the magician: A magic trick is supposed to provide him and Marta with the possibility of a fifteen-minute tête-à-tête. Yet the two do not return. While everyone else knows what is going on, Calogero’s soul holds onto the enchantment. Meanwhile the legacy-hunting family is not idle...
Scenes from the extended present. By Manfred Trojahn based on the play by Eduardo de Filippo Libretto by Christian Martin Fuchs
Running time 2 hours
Premiere 10 May 2008
