Antonio Rezza si candida a Sanremo: l’invito di Amadeus a un’esperienza sconvolgente
Antonio Rezza, the well-known actor, director, and writer, is currently captivating the audience at the Teatro Menotti in Milan with his unique performance as a “Pirandellian singer-songwriter” in the show ‘Extralishow – A Punk Story on the Borders of the Ballroom’, alongside the band Extraliscio. Originally scheduled for only two dates, September 26th and 27th, Rezza’s presence has been extended until October 1st due to popular demand.
Rezza, who is primarily associated with his longstanding artistic partnership with Flavia Mastrella, with whom he has created shows and audiovisual works for over 25 years, presents four highly acclaimed songs on the Extralishow stage, directed by Elisabetta Sgarbi.
When asked why he has only now decided to debut as a live musician, Rezza responds, “I used to be against invading other people’s fields. But seeing what has happened to Italian and European music in recent years, I no longer have any reservations: everyone has sung, so I will too. After all, music has always been present in my shows,” he emphasizes. The combination with Extraliscio works well: “Extraliscio plays punk music, and I create Pirandellian music, which is connected to irregular body movements. They blend well because they are different.”
In the Extralishow lineup, Rezza first presents a reinterpretation of the lyrics written by Pacifico for ‘Gira Giro Gira Gi’ by Extraliscio, which became the theme song for the Giro d’Italia 2020. He then performs three original songs that showcase his unique and eccentric genius. In ‘Vita ultraterrena’ he sings, “I enter the earth still alive/I was alive and I am still alive/I meet the worm that I am not/I greet him and become attached to him.” In ‘La Macchina’ he declares, “I serve, I serve the brakes/I serve, I serve the steering wheel/And as a third servant, I serve myself/To give movement to this oblivion.” And in ‘Ave Maria’, he begins with, “I believe in one God, almighty father, of whom? of what? Our father who art, our father who knows, but beyond the existence you give us?” And he concludes, “Give us some grace, Ave Maria, but not to forgive hypocrisy/give us the grace that you have left, we want elegance from you.”
Rezza is accompanied on stage by his musicians, Maurizio Catania and Federico Carra, with whom he is planning to release an album: “We would like to do it because we have written many songs. We will discuss it with Elisabetta Sgarbi, who already publishes my books and Extraliscio’s albums.” However, Rezza’s busy schedule of theatrical commitments poses a challenge: “We will be on tour with 4-5 different shows until June. We start in Milan on October 20th, 21st, and 22nd at the Teatro Elfo Puccini with ‘Bahamuth’. Planning a music tour would not be easy.”
Nevertheless, Rezza would like to shake up the live music scene as well: “There is so much rubbish. Harmony has been lost, all we hear is shouting. And it is full of people who are more focused on establishing themselves as authors rather than creating their works. I believe that the work is superior to the person who creates it. Today, it is a race to be noticed. All this fake rapping, imitating the Americans. Only a few succeed in Italy, such as Caparezza and Frankie Hi-Ngr. The last Sanremo Music Festival was really lacking in terms of musical quality.” However, precisely for this reason, Rezza would send a song to Amadeus, the host of Sanremo: “I would go, I would go because I know I would have a lot of fun. If they promise not to take away our Golden Lion for theater (received in 2018 together with Flavia Mastrella), I would go to Sanremo. But I don’t think they would take it away. And I don’t know if they would invite me. But I would go to show how one can sing without any ulterior motives.” He explains what he means by referring to the controversies surrounding Sanremo 2023: “You go to the Ariston Theatre and really shake things up, but not by creating a scandal by sitting in the front row. You don’t shock them with sexuality, which is natural, you shock them with talent. People deserve to be shocked through virtue. Talent is much more shocking than sexuality, which shouldn’t even be discussed because everyone can do what they want with their bodies.”
Regarding the current debate surrounding Esselunga’s advertisement, Rezza also expresses his opinion: “Instead of criticizing divorce, let’s criticize marriage. Why should one join together with the state through a contract? Only for economic guarantees. So, once again, it’s all fake, just like Esselunga’s advertisement. And the controversy only brings money to a supermarket’s cash register. Those who make such an advertisement are not without scruples; they are simply following what the market suggests. We create the market, so let’s take responsibility. It would be easy to reduce their power. Just imagine if everyone didn’t watch TV for a day, how the oligarchy that leads us would panic.”
Rezza also criticizes the ongoing debate about sexuality and gender: “Now we talk about divorced couples, or else we talk about genders. We always talk about what happens between the legs and never about what happens in the mind,” he concludes.
