Limited online streaming of the performance of The Open Couple by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, produced by Aurora Theatre and the Italian Cultural Institute Hong Kong and co-presented by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre in May 2022. Approved officially due to the high quality of the production.
Contains adult themes and language. Recommended for ages 13 and above.
Available from 13 January to 15 April 2023.
Synopsis
In this farce about sexual politics in marriage, a man persuades his suicidal wife that an open marriage is politically correct and embarks on dalliances with younger women, to her dismay and fury. After deciding to be on her own, the tables are turned when she confesses to a new man, Nobel prize nominated professor and inspired singer-songwriter; it is the husband who then becomes suicidal.
Dario Fo and Franca Rame
A major figure in 20th-century world theatre, Dario Fo was an Italian playwright, actor and theatre director. “The Open Couple” was co-written with his wife, Franca Rame, a widely admired theatre actress, playwright and political activist. The powerful couple co-wrote this play in 1983, the year it was also performed. Besides being a romantic play, it is also a reflection of Franca's previous traumatic abduction. In 1997, Dario won the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he dedicated and shared with Franca, his muse and partner.
Translated by Stuart Hood and directed by Ryan King
Cast: Nicole Garbellini, Jan Brink
