Venturiello and Micheli at Teatro Gentile in Cittanova: "La Mandragola"

Teatro Gentile · Cittanova, Costa Viola, Calabria

21 January 2027

On Thursday 21 January 2027 at 9 pm Teatro Gentile in Cittanova stages Niccolò Machiavelli's «La Mandragola» (The Mandrake) with Massimo Venturiello, joined by Maurizio Micheli and Antonella Piccolo, in an adaptation by Micaela Miano directed by Guglielmo Ferro. The 16th-century comedy is moved to a present-day financial metropolis of skyscrapers, young managers and chief executives. It is the fifth show of the Kalomena association's 23rd season; tickets cost from 25 to 40 euros, with a 20-euro gallery concession for under-18s and secondary school students.

Machiavelli in a skyscraper: Micaela Miano's adaptation

La Mandragola (The Mandrake) is the comedy by Niccolò Machiavelli regarded as the masterpiece of 16th-century Italian theatre: a prologue and five acts, a satire on the corruptibility of the society of the time. The title comes from a plant, the mandrake, whose root was believed to have aphrodisiac and fertility-inducing powers. Long dated to 1518, it is now placed by scholars in 1514-15; it was first printed in 1524.

Micaela Miano's adaptation, directed by Guglielmo Ferro, moves Renaissance Florence to a financial metropolis ruled by profit, appearances and economic power, inside a skyscraper of glass, neon and digital screens. Callimaco becomes an unscrupulous young manager, Messer Nicia a chief executive obsessed with his reputation, Lucrezia a clear-headed, strategic woman trapped in a system of convenience; Fra Timoteo and Ligurio embody cynicism and the manipulation of power. The comic structure remains Machiavelli's.

On stage: Venturiello, Micheli and Guglielmo Ferro's direction

The lead is Massimo Venturiello, joined by Maurizio Micheli and Antonella Piccolo, together with an ensemble cast. The show is presented by Teatro Quirino, the Rome production centre, with Officina Teatrale, and ran at the Quirino in Rome from 7 to 19 April 2026; in that run the cast also included Marco Imparato, Guglielmo Poggi, Martina Fatighenti, Enrico Spelta and Matilde Pettazzoni.

In the Quirino's presentation La Mandragola is read as a metaphor for society and morals, politics and power: a work that exposes the weaknesses of human nature, its desires and the ways it can be manipulated, in a struggle in which man is both victim and executioner of his own vices. On the Cittanova season poster the show is billed as prose.

Thursday 21 January: date and times

The comedy is on Thursday 21 January 2027 at 9 pm at Teatro Gentile in Cittanova, Via Cavaliere Gentile 4; the auditorium opens at 8:30 pm. Some ticketing websites have listed Wednesday 20 January: the Kalomena association's calendar, the season poster and the season presentation all give Thursday 21, and that is the date to go by.

It is the second date of 2027 at Teatro Gentile, twelve days after Eugenio Finardi's concert. If you book by phone you must collect your tickets on the first available advance sales day, otherwise the booking lapses; if you pay by bank transfer you can collect them at the box office on the evening itself.

Tickets from 25 to 40 euros: how to buy them

The Kalomena association's price list for La Mandragola is 40 euros in the premium stalls (poltronissima), 35 in the stalls (poltrona), 25 in the gallery and 20 for the gallery concession, reserved for under-18s and secondary school students.

The association's website links to the show's Vivaticket page. If online sales do not appear to be open, you can book on 347 7191399 and 320 6184249, pay by bank transfer sending the receipt to kalomena@libero.it and collect your tickets on the evening of the show, or go to the Teatro Gentile box office, open for advance sales on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4 to 6 pm. Phone bookings get the first available seats in the chosen section: to pick your seats you need to go to the theatre or buy online. The poster states that the Italian Bonus Docente and Carta Cultura Giovani are accepted for online purchases.

The show is included in the season pass, which costs 240, 200, 160 or 100 euros depending on the section.

Teatro Gentile and the season's classics

La Mandragola opens the classical strand of the Kalomena cultural association's 23rd season, which ends on 23 March with Luigi Pirandello's Il giuoco delle parti performed by Pippo Pattavina; from the Neapolitan tradition comes Eduardo De Filippo's Ditegli sempre di sì on 26 February, with Mario Autore, Anna Iodice and Domenico Pinelli. The rest of the «Come l'acqua che scorre» programme features The Nutcracker (2 December), Biagio Izzo (8 December), Valentina Persia (17 December), Eugenio Finardi (9 January), Ale & Franz (10 February), Enzo Iacchetti and Carlotta Proietti (13 March) and, outside the season pass, Una storia unica (3 April).

The association has organised the seasons of the Cine-Teatro «Rocco Gentile» since 1994, and from 2015 to 2021 its artistic director was Antonio Salines, an actor and director who ran Rome's Teatro Belli for over forty years. At the season launch, culture councillor Rita Morano described the Gentile as a landmark for the whole Piana.

Getting to Cittanova and what to do before the show

Cittanova is reached from the Tyrrhenian coast via Gioia Tauro: provincial road 33 climbs via Rizziconi, provincial road 1 (the former state road 111 Gioia Tauro-Locri) crosses the plain towards the Aspromonte; from Polistena take provincial road 47. There are no trains, as the Gioia Tauro-Cinquefrondi line has been suspended since 2017, and public transport means Ferrovie della Calabria buses.

Rebuilt after the 1783 earthquake, the town keeps many 19th-century churches and mansions; Palazzo Muratori, built in 1750, was rebuilt straight after the quake. The Villa Comunale «Carlo Ruggiero», a national monument, appears in the Calabria episode of the CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (2022). The season also continues the Teatro Gourmet project, pairing shows with tastings of local produce. For a pre-theatre drink see bars and cafés in Cittanova and businesses in Cittanova.

Frequently asked questions

When is La Mandragola on in Cittanova?

On Thursday 21 January 2027 at 9 pm at Teatro Gentile, Via Cavaliere Gentile 4. Some online ticket sites have listed 20 January, but the organising association and the season poster give the 21st.

How much are tickets?

40 euros in the premium stalls, 35 in the stalls, 25 in the gallery. The gallery concession costs 20 euros.

Who is in the cast?

Massimo Venturiello, joined by Maurizio Micheli and Antonella Piccolo and an ensemble cast. Guglielmo Ferro directs.

Is it Machiavelli's original Mandragola?

It is Machiavelli's text in Micaela Miano's adaptation, which moves the story to a contemporary financial metropolis while keeping the original comic structure.

How can I buy tickets if Vivaticket is not selling them?

You can book on 347 7191399 and 320 6184249 or write to kalomena@libero.it, or go to the Teatro Gentile box office on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 4 to 6 pm.

Are there student discounts?

Yes: the 20-euro gallery concession applies to under-18s and secondary school students. The association also offers student discounts on season passes.

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