Massimiliano Gallo, already a TV interpreter of the protagonist of Diego de Silva’s novels, accompanies the lawyer Malinconico on the stage
“This is how I am. A true jazz musician of complication. Give me an already compromised situation, and see what solos I make.” This maxim, or minimum, depending on your point of view, wonderfully reflects the philosophy of its author, Vincenzo Malinconico, a lawyer with a ramshackle career and love life that make him lovable and reassuring.
Malinconico is a project born from Diego de Silva’s books. Successful books by an unsuccessful lawyer, which became a TV series for Rai Uno and now also a theater show. True to character, here too the protagonist will be Massimiliano Gallo, who will also take on the role of director. “Melancholic – Moderately happy” will be on stage from 24 February to 8 March at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan. It is a show capable of selling out almost everywhere, thanks to Massimiliano Gallo’s ability to perfectly embody that Neapolitan humor extraordinarily intrinsic to his DNA.
Massimiliano, tell us about Malinconico
“Vincenzo Malinconico is a very particular character; when I read the scripts I thought that Rai 1 wouldn’t accept him, because it’s politically incorrect. He’s a man who doesn’t want to participate in the stories of life, he’s not a loser, but he’s not really interested in competing. Very different from the princes of the court that we were used to seeing at the cinema. He has a ramshackle life, let’s say he moves by inertia, he first lets events happen and then moves accordingly. A lawyer who is not at all competitive, who acts instinctively and honestly, not interested in money. The antithesis of what they want to propose to us.”
Why this desire to bring it to the theater too?
“Melancholic is one of the characters I like to inhabit the most: I loved him, listened to him, we trusted each other. I wore it and lived it. Bringing it on stage was a natural step: with Diego de Silva there was this slightly crazy idea of dragging him to the theater with co-writing. A show that is not easy to create due to the complexity of the character. I created a particular scenographic system to best represent all his infinite reasoning and the chaos that dwells unapologetically in his world.”
The show has original songs written by Joe Barbieri, a very good Neapolitan singer-songwriter
“We singled him out because he’s a great artist and sophisticated enough to be close to Malinconico. An artist fortunately of niche. When Diego and I proposed the project to him, he was enthusiastic: Joe is also a fan of Malinconico. He wrote a love song of incredible beauty for the show, bringing out all his ability to never be obvious in his lyrics, never rhetorical. It is the perfect choice for Vincenzo.”
Question “that no one will ever ask you”: what does Massimo Gallo have in common with Malinconico?
“I feel similar in empathy: Malinconico always acts with great empathy towards others and I recognize myself a little in this. I too often act from my gut, taking lost causes to heart. We are totally different, however, in the way we face challenges: I am very competitive!”
Seeing the results, you won the challenge of bringing Malinconico to the theater!
“It would seem so. In the show I do a little rant, putting a couple of phrases against political correctness into the lawyer’s mouth, because I think it’s one of the greatest hypocrisies of this time.”
“The success of Malinconico, of this totally unlikely character even in courtship, surrounded however by beautiful women, lies in his absolute carelessness in appearing. In a period in which we all have to perform, having someone only interested in substance, a person who wakes up every morning without the desire to participate in the race of life, is very reassuring. I believe that today the character of Malinconico is revolutionary! It will be a loving direction, mine, hoping to introduce you to Vincenzo as I know him.”
That character that probably no one dares to interpret, but that all of us, at least once, would like to have the courage to be.
