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Troppo Bella Per Essere Vera

 
Nicholas Abrams Review by Nicholas Abrams 4 Published: 26 Oct 2025 CUT | Centro Universitario Teatrale Unict Show Dates: 24 Oct 2025-24 Oct 2025

In Troppo Bella Per Essere Vera, Maria Vittoria Barrella delivers a sharp and engaging performance as a scientist desperate to be recognised for her intellect rather than her beauty. Told entirely in Italian - with an English script thoughtfully provided - this one-woman play moves briskly through a series of witty, tightly written monologues that blend irony, self-awareness, and social critique.

Smart, stylish and quietly subversive

The premise is fascinating: a brilliant academic, tired of her achievements being overshadowed by her past as a model, builds a machine capable of erasing every trace of her former image from the internet. Of course, , the plan backfires, forcing her to confront the impossibility of separating identity from perception. The idea might sound abstract, but Barrella grounds it with warmth and precision - her delivery is crisp, her comic timing faultless, and her shifts between irony and sincerity are deftly handled.

Director Maura Pettorruso keeps the staging simple but expressive, using music and small visual touches - a fluttering fan, a shimmer of glitter - to punctuate changes in tone. It’s a clever use of minimal resources, ensuring that attention never drifts from the performer.

At times, the logic of the narrative teeters on the edge of surrealism, and it’s possible that a nuance or two is lost in translation. Yet the clarity of Barrella’s performance and the sharpness of Massimiano Bucchi’s writing carry the audience through. Beneath its humour lies a clear-eyed commentary on how women in science - and indeed in any field - are still judged by appearances before achievements.

Tightly written, well-paced, and performed with charm and intelligence, Troppo Bella Per Essere Vera is a thought-provoking monologue that deserves to reach wider audiences. A hidden gem that feels ripe for touring - and one that lingers in the mind long after the glitter has settled.

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The Blurb:

A monologue that tackles, with irony, a highly topical issue — one that extends beyond the world of science: prejudice. It tells, with a touch of ironic lightness, one of the many ways in which gender inequality takes shape.