THE EMPRESS'S NEW CLOTHES
Alice Bossi / Teatro Evento

What if instead of the classic foolish emperor who, out of extreme vanity, fails to notice he is naked, there were an empress with a magnificent dress of a thousand shades and possibilities? What if instead of two tailors trying to trick her, and above all a child whose candid bluntness exposes all her emptiness, there were a wondrous mirror that in the end showed her true face and at the same time helped her accept herself just as she is, without any pretence?
All these new twists on Andersen's celebrated fairy tale are present with unusual theatrical force, offering young audiences a precious exploration of the delicate relationship between outward appearance and inner identity in "The Empress's New Clothes" by Alice Bossi, directed by Antonio Brugnano, produced by Teatro Evento.
The protagonist of Alice Bossi's new wordless show is the emperor's daughter, Caterina, who on the day of her eighteenth birthday receives from her father a magic dress, perhaps invisible to fools, alongside a magic mirror, her trusted advisor that closely watches over her, ensuring her bearing is always perfect and impeccable.
We will see how, little by little, Caterina comes to realise that having a slightly odd nose she feels ashamed of is not so terrible after all: what matters is accepting oneself as one is, finding beauty in what might seem its opposite, and above all letting go of others' prejudices.
Alice Bossi, directed by the trusted Antonio Brugnano, following "La Bianca la Blu e la Rossa" takes a further leap in quality, masterfully commanding her body in relation to the objects around her, through a refined and original clownerie, perhaps unique in Italian children's theatre, conveying without a single word all the nuances of the character in an original way, tinged with playful poetry.