Seen at Festival delle Colline Torinesi on the 30th October 2022
5 stars – the beauties and violence of Western culture
Complicated machines, whose eyes spy on us, whose movements sound like automatic weapons, tick and slowly spin. An old, white-cloaked man, or a prophet (Valer Dellakeza), recites excerpts of Jeremy’s Book in a language with Latin roots. Then come the policemen, their black, US-looking uniforms, their truncheons and guns.
For this violent performance, director Romeo Castellucci opened a call to find thirty ‘uomini dalla strada’ (men from the street, along with actors Luca Nava and Sergio Scarlatella), who professedly didn’t rehearse. They wear earpieces through which they receive orders, and they have to follow them ‘even if they seem contradictory’, ‘even if they expose [them] to shame’ and if ‘they interfere with a colleague’s action’, as stated on the rules.
The play is rooted in European culture, from the Bible’s recitation to the presentation of Latin proverbs, to the live staging of modern paintings (among others, Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson, Goya’s Tres de mayo, Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa, David’s Le Serment des Horaces, where the truncheons take the place of swords). Homage is almost religiously paid to the icon of Samuel Beckett.
Aside from the staging of some iconic and beautiful expressions of Western civilisation, its other side is also shown, evoking totalitarian dictatorships through blind obedience and the worship of a puppet, that raises its hands and speaks incomprehensible sounds; unjustified violence and torture against chosen victims or scapegoats, one of whom is ironically spread with white paint all over. The future does not look bright, with the new, young prophet wearing the policemen’s badge on his white tunic.
The atmosphere was so tense that, when the policemen climbed among the seats and stood between the rows, the audience almost didn’t dare moving. Despite BROS not being the most shocking of Societas Raffaello Sanzio’s creations, its power is tangible and disturbing.
29th and 30th of October 2022
Running time: 90 minutes
Venue: Fonderie Limone di Moncalieri
Tickets and Info: https://www.teatrostabiletorino.it/cartellone/bros/
Company Website: https://www.societas.es/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/societasraffaellosanzio/
Butterwort 
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