Sokurov's Go.Go.Go. at Vicenza's Teatro Olimpico Blends Cinema and Theatre

Russian filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov premiered his theatrical work Go.Go.Go. at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza as part of the 69th cycle of classical theatre performances. In an interview, Sokurov described theatre as a living organism that changes nightly, contrasting it with film, which he called 'dead' upon release. The performance begins with a crowd gathered to watch Fellini's Roma, interrupted by Italian director Paolo Bertoncello. Two rat-men, Tullio (Max Malatesta) and Publio (Michelangelo Dalisi), scavenge knowledge by eating books and drinking cinema from a puddle. They are tempted by cheese in a mausoleum dedicated to a saint, but poet Iosif Brodsky (Elia Schilton) warns them. Anna Magnani (Karina Arutyunyan) ultimately gives them the cheese, enslaving them to a grim fate. Sokurov's cinematic language shapes the narrative, drawing parallels to his film Faust and exploring themes of insatiable desire. The director positions the camera in the audience's perspective, creating a continuous sequence that captures what film editing typically misses. Sokurov sees theatre as a defense of humanity, an antibody against destructive forces.