Comedy

A man comes onstage, sits down at the table, pours himself a glass of wine and begins to write a letter. The scene repeats itself 15 times without a word and in a different style each time: backward, drunk, without hands, as a silent film, western or horror version. This is absurd, completely hyper physical theatre with a master of body language, mime and scenic precision.

The solo »Brevet« (»The letter«), created and performed by Paolo Nani, was created in 1992 in collaboration with the director Nullo Facchini, founder and artistic director of the theatre Cantabile 2, whose piece »10 ukendter soldater« (»Ten nameless soldiers«) was part of euro‑scene Leipzig 1996. Nani has performed »Brevet« more than 1,200 times in 34 countries. The solo was awarded the European comedy prize »United Slapstick« in Frankfurt / Main in 1994 and has become a classic of theatrical comedy.

Paolo Nani was born in 1956 in Ferrara, Italy and studied art at the University of Bologna. He was part of the ensemble of Teatro Nucleo in his native city from 1978-90. After moving to Denmark in 1990, he first worked with Theater Cantabile 2 before founding the Paolo Nani Teatre in 1995. Alongside »Brevet«, his most successful performances include »Kunsten at Dø« (»The art of dying« 2003) and »Jekyll & Hyde« (2009).