The rock opera Divo Nerone (“Divine Nero”), a massive spectacle of musical theater, premiered this weekend in Rome. But while the show and it’s all-star direction stopped at nothing to wow the audience, it has found a foe in cultural preservationists and archaeologists.
It’s not the content of the work that has left some disgruntled. Rather, it’s the location. Roman authorities authorized the construction of a set situated on the Palatine Hill — atop the remains of the palace Nero built after the Great Fire of Rome of 64 CE. The show runs for three months, halting any excavation of the royal ruins. As Elisabetta Povoledo recently reported in the New York Times, some are concerned that the set — though temporary — has marred the natural beauty of the archaeological site, while the nuns of a nearby covent are subject to the unceasing noise from the production.
Municipal authorities, however, have a different perspective. The Local Italy reports that Archaeological Superintendent Francesco Prosperetti sees both the show and it’s set as beneficial to future preservation efforts. Three percent of ticket sales — estimated to be €1 million — are being donated to the archaeological site, and Prosperetti believes the production will spark interest of Rome’s cultural heritage in an untapped demographic.
Musical and artistic production of Divo Nerone is helmed by a seasoned team, whose members share eight Academy Awards and two Grammys between them. Gino Landi is serving as director. Francesca Lo Schiavo, who has won Academy Awards for her work on The Aviator, Sweeney Todd and Hugo is set decorator. The musical team includes composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score with Il Postino; and Franco Migliacci, whose “Nel blu dipinto di blu” (“Volare”), won the first ever Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Below, the trailer for Divo Nerone.
H/T: The New York Times.