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The Sorrento Musical
takes its cue from the “Tarantella”, a typical dance of the southern regions
with origins in some undefined bygone period. Such is the hypnotism liberated
from the music, to whose rhythm the dancers “intertwine”, that illustrious
composers such as Rossini were spellbound to the point of feeling impelled
to dedicate to it superb compositions.
Through time, regrettably,
the original significance of the Tarantella was lost, transforming it into
a mere repetitive show for tourists.
 In the attempt to revive its genuine vivaciousness,
almost a decade ago the proprietors of the Tasso Theatre began research
into local folklore to discover the people and places that, through jealous
family tradition, inherited the priceless patrimony of exact movements and
spirit of the dance.
In 1999, the Sorrento Musical
took to the stage: a show narrating moments and places across an entire
19th century, Sorrentine day.
The show is not just a revue of traditional
song and dance from the last two centuries: it is a faithful reconstruction
of workday events and festive occasions in the Sorrentine Peninsula of long
ago.
The audience will watch as dawn rises over Marina
Grande the fishing village faithfully reconstructed in the scenery painting
where, before going out to fish, a ritual with a hint of paganism invokes
an abundant catch. As protagonist of the entire first act, all songs are
dedicated to the sea, the inspiration for all the stories recounted in the
melodies.
The second scene ushers the audience into the
square as, with the arrival of the stalls, it becomes the marketplace.
Voices and sounds typical of buying and selling are transformed, almost
magically, into improvised and spontaneous song and dance, a translation
of the merry and frenzied bartering.
 The hours go by, and with the ending of the
morning market activity, the afternoon entertains an aspect of the square
where people stroll or sit chatting at the cafes. The rowdiness of the
morning gives way to whispered secrets and rumours, hopes and confessions
to the notes of those splendid songs known and appreciated throughout the
world.
A discerning ear may realize that the songs
themselves are history, the memory of time gone by and witness to the richness
of local cultural origins. For example, in the folk dance that brings into
play long canes there is a trace of the Moorish influence of olden times,
whilst the tammurriata nera (narrating the birth of an unexpectedly
black baby towards the end of World War II) is an ironic allusion to the
presence of the US army in Naples.
The first shadows fall on the scene: it is almost
evening. And the most appropriate moment to grant full force to the refrain
of the heart. All the songs in this act have amore as their protagonist:
from that of the soldier far from home during the Great War (O surdato
nnammurato) to the sailor’s moonlight serenade, and to finish in honour
of Rossini the courting call of lovesick cats composed exclusively of
“strangely human” miaows.
 A fireworks display, across the backdrop of
the Gulf illuminated with festive lights, ends the Musical: the characters,
dancers and singers, all dressed for the occasion dance joyfully with the
public as they beg leave and call for well-earned applause.
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