Tom Corradini brings his solo tour-de-force show about Mussolini to Edinburgh Fringe.
“In Rome, The Grand Council of the fascist government convenes to discuss the removal of the Duce.
The authoritarian leader, tired and overwhelmed by the failures of the Italian army, reflects on how destiny drove him from poor and humble origins to be crowned Italy’s supreme leader – and how much of his sanity he lost along the way.”
Where: C ARTS – C Alto
When: 11-24 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mussolini
A sentimental, solo, satire about a very divisive figure in history. Tell me more about your take on Mussolini?
I’ve played this character since 2015. Let’s say I have a passion for history and because I am Italian Mussolini was an ever-present figure in my life (for good or bad).
In 2013 after a number of shows I played with the idea of interpreting this character and in 2014, following a workshop with Philip Gaullier, I took a leap of faith and committed to staging the show.
I write all of my shows (you can find some scripts on Amazon) and the challenge was to depict Mussolini as a human being rather than the quintessential symbol of evil, as he is sometimes described in Italy.
A rule of thumb says that a person becomes a true historical character after 70 years from his death.
Napoleon, for instance, was considered as the anti-christ in his time and only after a number of years was France able to give him a place in history and consider him from an emotionally detached view.
That’s the main goal of the show: frame Mussolini as an episode in Italian history and MOVE ON!
We have become accustomed to speaking about the use of nuclear weapons as if they were standard weapons, we are “enabling” a genocide in Europe while lecturing other countries about human rights.
We have set a date (2030) for a future continental war which should mainly involve Germany (on the path to becoming the strongest army in Europe) and Russia.
It seems to me we have forgotten where we come from and because of this we are heading to another European-made disaster.
Personally, I’ve fully identified with Mussolini 100%. I can truly say I understand him and also feel a deep empathy for him as a human being.
Since last year I’ve also taken his character to YouTube and I have a weekly live feed (shot in black and white) where I take questions and phone calls from the audience commenting contemporary geopolitical events.
Why should audiences come along and see the show?
To think about the past. To see how a very possible future is going to unfold. As an African saying goes “IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING, TURN AROUND AND LOOK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!”
How did you make a start as a performer?
I’m absolutely not interested about the I. How I began is not important.
What is important is how I am going to finish. The shows are more important than the ego.
I staged conedy shows about: Brexit, Cyberbullying, Totalitarianism, Mental illness, Gambling Addiction, Financial Crisis, the fall of the American Empire, Feminism.
They are all comedy and they are all very physical. Some are silent. A lot of them are spoken. Some of the scripts of the spoken ones are on Amazon.
The latest one I’m working on is about the serial rape of German women by the Red Army in occupied Berlin and how war destroys the soul of both the victim and the perpetrator.
You can see all of my works on www.tomcorradini.it
As Alan Watts said I am a racist. I have a strong bias towards the HUMAN RACE. I like to explore the dark side of our soul and destructive emotions through the lens of comedy.
Because it is only when we stare into the abyss that we really find our true human and divine nature.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh? Do Fringe festivals inspire you?
I’m not looking forward to anything. I like living the moment. I’ve done tons of Fringes. The sordid truth is that I am a stage addict. I need a fix. Never trust a junkie.
Where can we see your work after Fringe?
Keep following tomcorradini.it for updates.