High Heels From the Big Boot ****

High Heels Fron the Big Boot is a playful, but intelligently constructed, production, giving us a glimpse into the lives of notable Italian women. The framing of this, however, is most unusual.

Federica Casolari and Eva D’Amico are clearing out their grandmother’s house after her death. It proves to be no small task: the house is packed with a lifetime of possessions—photographs, cassettes, books and, intriguingly, an electronic tablet.

Their surprise at the discovery soon gives way to curiosity. Their grandmother had been using AI to construct avatars of famous Italian women, bringing them back to life through technology.

The AI programme itself has an avatar, played by Domenico Serino, who takes to the stage and interacts with the two granddaughters. What follows is a whirlwind journey through history, mythology, art and popular culture.

We first meet Eva, the first woman. Highly opinionated, she believes her persona has been misrepresented for millennia. Fierce, dismissive and unflinching, she is certainly not what the granddaughters had expected.

Next is Beatrice Portinari, the thirteenth-century woman who became Dante’s muse, inspiring La Vita Nuova and serving as his guide through the Divine Comedy. Her image has been repeatedly reinterpreted in both high and popular culture, from Rossetti’s paintings to Lemony Snicket’s books. Like Eva, however, she feels the weight of historical misrepresentation.

Maria Montessori was a brilliant woman working in a man’s world. Nominated three times for the Nobel Prize, she was compelled to work alone at night so as not to offend male sensibilities. When she had a child out of wedlock, she was forced to pass herself off as his aunt. Her enduring legacy, of course, is the transformation of children’s education.

Known as the ‘Queen of Palermo’, the Sicilian Franca Florio was a celebrated socialite and one of the great figures of the Belle Époque. Yet behind the glamorous public image lay a different story.

Queen Margherita enters carrying a pizza box—the eponymous pizza having been named in her honour. During a visit to Naples, a chef created a pizza of basil, cheese and tomato as a tribute to the colours of the Italian flag. She is distinctly irritated that she is remembered more readily for a pizza than for being the first queen of unified Italy.

Finally, we meet Anna Magnani, the first non-English-speaking performer to win an Oscar. Admired both in Italy and internationally, she was so revered by Tennessee Williams that he specifically wrote The Rose Tattoo to showcase her talents. Fiercely independent and gloriously outspoken, Magnani certainly does not mince her words.

The production is a lively swirl of costume changes, comedy and storytelling. The performers spark off one another with sardonic wit and lovely timing, while the pace remains relentless throughout. There is little opportunity for the audience to pause before the next character, joke or revelation arrives.

High Heels From the Big Boot illuminates the lives of six remarkable women while exploring the ways in which history has shaped—and sometimes distorted—their legacies. It concludes with a poignant final missive that brings the exuberance of the production into sharper focus.

Gaudeamus Artistic Company offers the Italian community in Scotland the means to reconnect with or discover Italian culture through theatre.

www.italiandramauk.org