Director Mario Martone premiered his latest stage production, “Stanza con compositore, donne, strumenti musicali, ragazzo,” at the Teatro Vascello in Rome on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The play explores the interior and political writings of the late Neapolitan author Fabrizia Ramondino.
The production arrived in Rome after concluding a multi-day residency at the Teatro Parenti in Milan from April 8 to April 12. According to Corriere dello Spettacolo, the play depicts an isolated composer grappling with an unresolved artistic and personal life through a “symphony of a broken soul.”
Actor Lino Musella stars as the disgruntled composer who remains on a makeshift bed as the audience enters the theater. The narrative follows his caustic reflections on a career that failed to achieve mainstream recognition due to his refusal to follow traditional musical motifs.
Martone described the lead character’s existential distress as similar to Renato Caccioppoli, the protagonist of his 1992 film “Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician,” which was also co-written by Ramondino. Both figures represent individuals who feel they do not belong to the modern world.
“Fabrizia’s writing is existential, but also always political,” said Mario Martone in an interview with roma.corriere.it. He noted that the character’s aggression toward the audience serves as a metaphor for his friction with the outside world.
The cast features Iaia Forte as the protagonist’s mother, characterized by the violin, and Tania Garribba as his wife, represented by the viola. Other family members are personified by various string instruments, including the cello and double bass, as the household’s emotional world literally dissolves through the sale of stage objects.
The play is a collaboration with Ippolita di Majo and features costumes by Ortensia De Francesco and lighting by Cesare Accetta. Performances at the Teatro Vascello in the Monteverde district are scheduled to continue through Sunday, April 19, 2026.