L'uomo, la bestia e la virtù

In a unnamed seaside town, the first act opens in the cramped study of the transparent and nervous private tutor Paolino. The room is a jumble of overturned chairs and scattered books, a perfect backdrop for the sharp‑tongued housemaid Rosaria and the pretentious, hat‑clad pharmacist Totò to spar over keys, propriety, and the very notion of a ‘proper’ home. Their banter, laced with absurd metaphors and a touch of farce, introduces the rest of the household—Mrs. Perella, her husband the captain, their children, and a circle of doctors and servants—setting the stage for a comic examination of everyday pretensions.

Through witty repartee and physical comedy, the play probes the thin line between the ‘man’, the ‘beast’, and the elusive ‘virtue’ that its title suggests. As the characters argue over the order of chairs and the ownership of a key, deeper questions about authority, desire, and social masks begin to surface, all while the dialogue stays delightfully brisk and accessible. Listeners will be drawn into the lively rhythm of early‑twentieth‑century Italian theater, where humor and insight walk hand in hand.