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Little Thumblingis not afraid of the Ogre

The play

Little Thumbling has managed to escape from the clutches of the Ogre thanks to his cunning. Thumbelina and boys like him, who know many stories, know how to deal with dangerous types such as wolves, witches and ogres. Not the Ogre, although he has lived through many stories. He has always thought only and exclusively about filling his belly. And a full belly may be a momentary satisfaction, but in the long run it clouds the brain.

After a long time, Thumbelina wants to go and see what has become of that terrible Ogre who had tried to make a meal of him and his brothers, but who had then been cunningly tricked. A story that happened a long time ago, in Perrault’s time. Now that time has passed, Thumbelina is no longer afraid of the Ogre. He knows that he is much more cunning than the old, pot-bellied Homon-Eater-Children. But time has also passed for the Ogre who has become older, and perhaps a little wiser. Certainly weaker and more tired, and no longer scares anyone. He has also had to find a new job to earn a living and not be reduced to eating wild berries and mushrooms. Also because children no longer get lost in the woods.

But Thumbelina, once he has found his old “friend-enemy”, tells him a story to put him in a good mood: the story of a little boy who, together with his brothers, is abandoned in the woods and risks ending up under the teeth of a terrible Ogre. That story is set in the Magic Wood, where there are still young, frightening, slightly singing and dancing Ogres, who together with Wolves, Witches and Monsters terrorise children like him…… Guess what that story is! A Magic Wood, full of friends and nice, intelligent people and, above all, full of stories that can always teach … and put you in a good mood!

Hansel and Gretel and the poor witch

The show

Have you ever thought about the famous story of Hansel and Gretel from the point of view of the witch? Yes, that poor witch hungry for children who has devised so many tricks to capture her little victims and in the end becomes a victim herself of her own prey, thrown into the oven to burn! Well, in our story of witches there is not only one, but three and they are here to tell us, many years later, of the beautiful days when there were “such dark times and the children were good to eat”. Witches, as everyone knows, love to dress up to avoid being recognized by children. Hansel and Gretel, who are two good and intelligent children who have learned from their parents and books how life goes, immediately have strong suspicions, but alas, witches have magic on their side and not only manage to capture who they decide to have for lunch, but they involve all those they approach in a terrible confusion of rhymes, assonances and rhythms – because you must know that witches speak only in verse – … and so from the witches’ hunger and easy rhyme you are no longer saved, not even if you want to. But is more powerful Magic or Intelligence? What do you say? The theatrical version is a free adaptation from the famous tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.

The Blue Arrow

On Christmas night, all over the world, Santa Claus brings his gifts to children who have been good. The Italian children are the luckiest, because on the night between January 5 and 6 they receive other gifts: flying on a broomstick presents are brought by the Befana, a gruff but good old woman. But on 5 January many years ago, Italian children risked not getting any gifts…

Epiphany Eve is a magical night for all children, who await the arrival of gifts from the Befana. But poor Francisco is in danger of being left without the toy he has been longing for, a train called “The Blue Arrow”, because his parents don’t have the money for the Befana. The toys rebel against the old lady and on this magical night decide to go directly to Francesco.

The show tells this modern Christmas story by one of the greatest writers for children, and successfully brought to the big screen by Enzo D’Alò a few years ago. Inspired by the text by Gianni Rodari.