Woody Allen is directing Giacomo
Puccini's comic opera 'Gianni Schicchi' at Milan's La Scala
Theater debuting on Saturday.
The 83-year-old director, whose latest film did not hit movie
theaters for a year over allegations of sexual abuse on Allen's
part, is in Milan ahead of the European release of 'A Rainy Day
in New York'.
The film is coming out in October in Italy.
The director is also preparing for his next film in Spain and
is scheduled to fly to San Sebastian after the opera's debut on
Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference, Allen said that he is "very
active" and that he has enjoyed a break from filming to put on
stage an opera "in such an iconic place", referring to La Scala.
Allen first directed Puccini's one-act opera in Los Angeles
in 2008, at the insistence of Placido Domingo.
The production subsequently premiered in other locations,
including Spoleto in Italy.
'Gianni Schicchi' is being performed alongside Antonio
Salieri's 'First the Music, Then the Words', directed by Grischa
Asagaroff.
The majority of the performers are students from La Scala's
Academy.
Speaking about his debut at La Scala, Allen said it was a
dream come true to stage an opera in "the greatest opera theater
in the world".
The prolific filmmaker said 'Gianni Schicchi' is the right
opera for him - short and fun.
Allen said he staged it in the neorealist style of 1950s
directors like Vittorio De Sica.
He said previous ideas to make Schicchi a rat among mice or a
cigarette among organic produce were rejected as "terrible".
The opera is based on an incident in Dante's "Divine Comedy"
in which the title character is condemned to hell for profiting
from a ruse.
The version debuting on Saturday is similar to the production
first debuted in Los Angeles although the ending, in which
Gianni was stabbed by Zita, is different, Allen said.
The director said he had a "new idea" when he saw students
performing on stage and that he told them about it just this
week while keeping it a secret for the public until Saturday.
La Scala's superintendent Alexander Pereira expressed
satisfaction.
Pereira has always invested in the Academy, inviting great
directors to work with students.
He has previously invited artists such as Peter Stein,
Liliana Cavani and Leo Nucci.
The guest stars this time are Allen and baritone Ambrogio
Maestri.
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