A varied programme of theatre productions is scheduled across Italy this weekend, with stories about power, identity and deception among the highlights. The lineup includes a new Otello directed by Luca De Fusco, Stefano Massini’s Lo Zar, and performances led by Anna Ferzetti, Milena Vukotic, Emilio Solfrizzi and Violante Placido.

In Rome, De Fusco’s Otello opens at the Argentina Theatre. The Shakespeare tragedy is reimagined with a noir atmosphere inspired by 1940s cinema. Federico Vanni, Luca Lazzareschi and Mersila Sokoli are among the cast. The production runs from November 4 to 29.

At Milan’s Piccolo Teatro Strehler, Massini’s Lo Zar brings a story spanning half a century of Russian history to the stage, tracing Vladimir Putin’s rise from his childhood in Leningrad to political victory. The work draws largely on Putin’s public account of his life, given in 2000 ahead of the presidential election. It runs through November 15.

Milan’s Franco Parenti Theatre is bringing back Lezione d’amore. Sinfonia di un incontro, written and directed by Andrée Ruth Shammah for Milena Vukotic. Set in a dreamlike Paris, the play follows Madame A., a former musician, and a troubled young man as they undergo an unexpected journey of mutual growth. Federico De Giacomo also appears. Performances run from November 4 to 15.

At Catania’s Verga Theatre, Anna Ferzetti stars in Duncan Macmillan’s People, Places & Things, directed by Pierfrancesco Favino. Ferzetti plays Emma, an actress performing Nina in Chekhov’s The Seagull, whose thoughts and role begin to blur. Betti Pedrazzi, Thomas Trabacchi and Totò Onnis are also in the cast. The production is scheduled for November 6 to 15.

Emilio Solfrizzi plays Falstaff in Falstaff. L’arte di farla franca, a comedy written and directed by Davide Sacco and freely inspired by Shakespeare and Molière. Solfrizzi’s character is a habitual debtor and schemer who runs a venue on the brink of bankruptcy. The play is at the Carlo Coccia Theatre in Novara on November 7 and 8.

Violante Placido takes on the role of Marilyn in a one-act play she developed with Salvatore Sito, who also directs. The production marks the centenary of the Hollywood star’s birth and focuses on the final minute of her life, as she sits alone in her room. It receives its national premiere at the Fanin in San Giovanni in Persiceto on November 6, followed by a performance at the Betti in Casalecchio di Reno on November 7.

Sources: ANSA Cultura.