The less educated, non Neapolitans of course, think of at the old Disney cartoon and wonder: why is it called Gatta Cenerentola (Cinderella the Cat), what’s the cat got to do with it? They should go and brush up their history of European literature, because Giambattista Basile is a giant. And then the theatre history: Roberto De Simone revolutionised the stage in 1976 with his Gatta Cenerentola, both in Italy and abroad.

As a subject, it appeared already perfect to us – as it was in De Simone’s version, the high point of theatrical performance for my generation. Then, ever so slowly, the project became more clearly defined and we decided to accept the challenge, with enormous respect for the tradition and a shared desire to innovate. You will see a timeless Naples with a futuristic enviroment, but also a lot of darkness. The element of ash, for example, is ever present. In fact, the climate is one of post eruption Vesuvius. The main point of reference was Basile’s original work. For those unfamiliar with it, it is quite pulp.

Dario Sansone, interviewed by Alessandro Chetta, “Corriere del Mezzogiorno”, 1st September 2017