Gigio Alberti: "Italian comedy? French comedy is better. Marrakech Express? An adventure of the heart."

MONZA – A light-hearted and sensitive spirit shines through in many of his characters, an unmistakable face, and an uncommon ability to shift from dramatic to light-hearted and ironic. Today, Gigio Alberti is among the most famous Italian actors, thanks in part to roles that remain in the memory and that director Gabriele Salvatores cast him in, such as Cedro in "Marrakech Express ," Strazzabosco in "Mediterraneo," and Professor Andrea Berti in "Quo Vadis, Baby?" He will be in Monza , at Villa Reale, to talk about comedy and great Italian comedy on the afternoon of Saturday the 25th, during the Film Festival and Visiona MovieFest .

What is the state of health of Italian comedy?

I confess that I haven't had a great attraction to Italian comedies lately. I've pretty much missed many of the recent ones. I tend to prefer French, English, Spanish, Israeli, and Turkish comedies. Then, of course, there are directors like Virzì who, when he makes a comedy, have a strength and a purpose that's worthwhile. There are some high points. Salvatores's latest film was also a good comedy. Right now, however, dramatic films seem to be stronger in Italian cinema. At least, that's my perspective as a viewer. But maybe in three months, four wonderful comedies will be released that will disprove all this talk.

Film, theatre, TV series, you've done them all: where do you prefer to work?

"Perhaps I prefer theater of all places because it gives you immediate feedback: having direct contact with the audience, you immediately realize whether what you're doing is working or not; every night you have a handle on the situation. In cinema, you only have that feedback a year later, so there's no immediate satisfaction. Of course (he says laughing, ed. ), your wallet prefers everything else, because theater requires more time and has a fair few distribution issues: there are wonderful shows that last just 20 days, a month, and this is bad for those who put them on but also for the audience, because those works have less chance of being enjoyed."

Over the years you have played both dramatic and lighter roles: which do you prefer?

"If there's a hint of irony—a counterpoint, I wouldn't say comical, but ironic—within the character or within the context in which the character moves, I prefer it. It's something I like and perhaps it's more in keeping with who I am. It's nice, even when playing dramatic roles, to be able to have this different counterpoint."

Is there a character you've played that you're most attached to?

"As a film, I'm very attached to Marrakech Express, because it was the first and because it was somewhat of an adventure: we went all the way to Morocco, and I'd never been to Africa before, so there are a series of personal memories that blend with the film and make it something precious to me. Plus, it's still a film you can watch today without feeling too much the weight of time, even though so many years have passed. This connection happens a lot in the theater, because you carry a character around for a year, two years: there are so many Harold Pinter plays that I've performed with the Teatro Out Off in Milan that have remained close to my heart."

Current projects?

This year, I'll be resuming the theater tour of "Neighbors," a very simple but very funny comedy by Cesc Gay. It's a show that worked and gave us great satisfaction; it's well-written and very enjoyable to perform. I'll also be resuming "The Other Side," a play about war, more dramatic, yet with a comic counterpoint. It's written by Argentinean Ariel Dorfman, known for "Death and the Maiden." Like the best South Americans, he manages to write very dramatic things in a light-hearted way, which ultimately leaves you with the bittersweet feeling that a war situation can have. I'm also recording audiobooks of Alessandro Robecchi's novels: they're very funny, I like it.

Have you ever worked in Monza?

“Yes, when I worked with Teatro Out Off, we always brought shows to Binario 7. I've also been to Teatro Manzoni two or three times: I would have liked to come again this year with “Vicini di casa,” but we couldn't get the schedules to match. I've also been to the Park a couple of times: I shot a short film there a few years ago, one of those IED makes under the supervision of Silvio Soldini. It was set mostly in the Park and was about UFOs.”