The Deceit of Good Intentions: “Tutto per bene” Opens Pirandelliana 2025 in the Silent Power of the Aventine

Hosted in the enchanting Garden of the Basilica of Saints Boniface and Alexis, the festival launches a month-long journey into Pirandello’s dramatic universe, with nightly performances scheduled until July 26.

An intimate and merciless drama

“Tutto per bene” is one of Pirandello’s most subtle and unsettling works. The protagonist, Martino Lori, discovers—after years of quiet and uneventful living—that his late wife had betrayed him, and the daughter he believes to be his is not. Friends and family concealed the truth “for his own good.” But this well-meaning deception strips him of meaning, identity, and dignity. It is not guilt, but pity turned into moral compromise, that becomes the play’s true tragedy.

Marcello Amici’s direction is stark and restrained, allowing Pirandello’s words to breathe without embellishment. The absence of excessive staging or visual effects leaves space for the actor’s work and for a kind of attentive listening that is increasingly rare in contemporary theatre.

The value of silence

Set in the Garden of the Basilica of Saints Boniface and Alexis, the performance found its ideal venue: intimate, solemn, and timeless. It is a place where words carry a sacred weight. In this space, the actors’ controlled and layered interpretations resonated deeply, allowing the play’s emotional complexity to emerge without sensationalism.

Silence played a key dramaturgical role—between lines, in the characters’ pauses, in the audience’s breath. In true Pirandellian style, what remains unsaid often speaks louder than what is uttered.

Theatre as revelation

“Tutto per bene” is not only a story about personal betrayal, but also a piercing reflection on the very idea of truth. Pirandello forces us to ask: Is knowing always better than not knowing? Is truth a right, or a burden?

In an age where theatre often becomes light entertainment, Pirandelliana continues to be a vital cultural stronghold: a space of critical thought, collective conscience, and ethical inquiry.

A conscious choice to disturb

Opening the festival with “Tutto per bene” was no coincidence—it’s a declaration of intent. It invites the audience to question comfort, to distrust appearances, and to face moral ambiguity. It is, in many ways, a political act: a refusal to pacify or simplify in a world that prefers easy narratives.

Once again, Pirandello speaks to the present. And in the quiet dignity of the Aventine gardens, Pirandelliana 2025 reminds us that theatre, when it is brave, can still challenge and illuminate.

📍 Pirandelliana 2025

📆 Until July 26 – Performances at 9:15 PM

📍 Garden of the Basilica of Saints Boniface and Alexis,

Piazza Sant’Alessio 23, Rome

🎟️ €18 full price – €15 reduced – POS payments accepted

📞 Info & Reservations: +39 347 3192896

🌐 www.labottegadellemaschere.it