The idea of recreating an accademia musicale (private concert) at the home of Roman artist/patron Pier Leone Ghezzi in 1723 and putting on works that might have been played at such an event is an intriguing one.  Add to that that we were promised caricatures; Ghezzi being a noted pioneer of the form.  Marco Cera, who conceived the show, seemed to be onto a good thing.

What we actually got wasn’t exactly what I expected.  There were the musicians, including noted baroque soprano Roberta Invernizzi, impersonating Ghezzi’s guests; from Vivaldi to Farinelli, with Cera himself as Ghezzi.  But there was also Ghezzi’s servant, played as Harlequin, acted by Dino Gonçalves.  The show was heavy on Harlequin’s cheeky chappy clowning which was, as the lemur put it, like “watching Jerry Lewis channelling Roger Rabbit”.  Not really my thing.

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