In every foreign production it makes it harder for the audience to read the text and watch what happens on stage at the same time. But it is never disturbing if the direction is so interesting and convincing that its beauty can almost make the audience forget that they can only follow the performance by reading the text. This is what happened in the case of Gábor Zsámbéki’s imaginative direction, which is full of thought-provoking references and results in a great play with fantastic actors. Irony and stage dynamics were the characteristics of The Last Night of the Carnival in which the young and ambitious Anzoletto announces to everyone, including Domenica, his love, that he has made the decision of travelling to Petersburg where he hopes to get rich and famous.
Antonia Dalpiaz, L’Adige
The audience breathes along with the performance, they get to love it, even if they can’t read every single word or do not understand everything in the storyline. Obviously it is because of Goldoni’s text that they can easily follow the characterization and the arch of the scenes. But the real merit is that of the fifteen brilliant actors who treat the audience with truly high-standard acting. Thanks to the simple but clever set elements, Cuminetti’s stage is transformed into a weaver’s workshop in which the looms and the colourful fabrics create an intimate, homely feel. Zsámbéki’s changes in the text, which becomes a bit less like Goldoni but much more topical, have the same effect.
Tommaso Pasquini, Il Trentino