A free online screening gives G.K. Chesterton fans a chance to catch an Italian adaption of his seldom-performed play The Surprise. Retitled Liberi Tutti! and directed by Otello Cenci, the play was presented at last year’s Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples in Rimini, Italy. The screening, a recording of the live theatrical presentation with English subtitles, is sponsored by the G.K. Chesterton Institute at Seton Hall University.
We poets never tell the truth, except when we tell it in fables.
– G.K. Chesterton, from ‘The Surprise’
As in the Chesterton original, Liberi Tutti! is a seemingly lighthearted play about puppets who come to life. But as usual with Chesterton, a whimsical story hides much more complex themes about creation, free will, and redemption. Ultimately, Chesterton “surprises” by showing how a simple fable can reveal more profound truths that are often missed by the proud and the pompous.
Sadly, The Surprise was never performed in Chesterton’s lifetime, which makes this production of Liberi Tutti! all the more precious for Chesterton fans.
The online presentation will be available from June 20-27, 2023. It is free of charge, but viewers must first register on the event page.
