UK Theatre Network

Napoletango

Created and Directed by Giancarlo Sepe

With an original theme by Luis Bacalov

Produced by Teatro Eliseo

London Coliseum

Napoletango follows the story of the Incoronato family, a twenty strong troupe of dancers heralding from Naples, united by one passion in life: to dance the Tango. Fusing traditional Neopolitan music with a combination of Tango styles, the dancers chat excitedly in Italian, conveying the chaos of a travelling circus as they strut and spin, full of the drama and vivacity only the Italians can truly express.

Tango arrives in the form of Pablo Canaro (Pablo Moyano) a dancer from Argentina. In waistcoat and trilby he glides across the stage, swivelling his hips and flicking his two tone brogues out with elegant precision. Moyano's dance moves are as sharp as a wet shave, simultaneously exact and effortlessly smooth.

The Incoronato family move as if they have been possessed by the spirit of Tango. The women in fruit salad dresses and the men in pin stripe suits, stride forwards, arms outstretched with taut precision, abandoning themselves to the strict passion of piano and violin.

The company even strip off their clothes and bed down for the night, creating a gorgeous tableau of dancers snoozing on beds, mattresses and blankets. But even in sleep they are unable to resist the urge to dance. In their boxers and suspenders, the cast dance to the Gotan Project's modern reworking of the Tango, as the accordion's staccato notes are embellished with a modern bass line. The ensemble throw shapes up against the green lit backdrop of the Teatro walls as they move like “drunken cats and snakes”.

The freedom of expression and sensual nature of Tango is illuminated under white lights, as the entire cast are ushered naked behind a plastic sheet to have a shower as the Matriach of the company Concetta Incoronato, (Cristina Donaldo) and their dance teacher, Maddalena Pratico (Elizabetta D'Acunzo) supervise the giggling dancers. When Donaldo and D'Acunzo mop up the floor after their ablutions, their legs sweeping the cloths becomes precise Tango steps, drenched with rigour and flair. Sepe's choreography demonstrates how even the domestic can be transformed into graceful dance.

When a band take to the stage lead by O' Mammifero (Sergio Di Paola), comprised of melodica, violin, drum, sax and guitar we entertainingly witness how everyone plays in their own way, thus leading to a cacophony. The Tango is something uniquely personal, a sound which expresses your own flavour of passion, something more than the 45s that Concetta Incoronota waves in her hand.

By the second half, we learn more of the philosophy of the Tango, despite being in Italian, subtitles inform us of how one should move slowly first, then syncopated, and how a women must follow her man like a faithful shadow. According to D'Acunzo the body of dancers is made of two separate pieces, the upper part is sensual, while the lower part is secret. These aphorisms are acted on with great relish as the dancers display their incredible skill under the bright bulbs of Napoletango glowing behind them. In crimson dresses and charcoal blazers, the dancers swirl suavely to Hollywood Tango's clack of castanets.

The Tango may be an exquisite dance but the cast of Napoletango show it is also a way of life, of expressing pain and passion with flair and elegance. One of the joys of the performance is just how recognizably Italian the performers are. They wear their hearts on their sleeves, erupting into arguments and indulging in meals, they are totally involved in the whole experience of theatre. As the dancers strut up into the aisles, laughing, shouting and causing chaos, they invite members of the audience to join them. The stalls burst into a riot of dance and colour, as the Tango possesses the audience with wild abandon, flings its head back and whips its heels against the night.

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