Marco Polo
and the princess
A tragicomic love story
and the princess
Direction and Playwriting: Michele Modesto Casarin
Production: Compagnia Pantakin
Cast: Matteo Campagnol, Rossana Mantese, Manuela Massimi, Alberto Olinteo, Irene Silvestri/Elisa Pastore
Masks: Stefano Perocco di Meduna
Costumes: Licia Lucchese, made by the DLQ workshop
Inspired by the adventures of Marco Polo in Il Milione and on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of his death, a troubled and intense love story unfolds. It features the famous Venetian explorer and merchant Marco Polo on one side, and the beautiful yet cruel Princess Hao Dong on the other, reminiscent of the icy-hearted Princess Turandot. Both princesses subject their suitors to incredibly difficult riddles, and those who fail to solve them face beheading. In Catai, the noble aristocrats have disappeared, and the young Marco Polo intends to challenge fate.
Courtship and riddles that could cost one their head, adventurous travels across treacherous seas, and Eastern rhythms are the ingredients of this adventure, characterized by the red thread of Love. Through the amusing play of Commedia, which will also involve the audience in our scenario, the sweet-and-sour story unfolds from ancient China to the Court of the Million here in Venice; from the Orient to the Rialto market, from perilous seas to the romantic canals of Venice, where Love and Death will intertwine in a passionate duel. Who will win this eternal challenge?
