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 19^th 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. 

teatro tasso- piazza sant'antonino - sorrento - italy - telephon +39.081.807.55.25 -info@teatrotasso.com-