L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano I t might well be the next "Greatest Show on Earth," even if the monkeys and clowns are missing. It's no circus, however. The first "artainment" of its kind, Giudizio Universale brings to life the narrative of Michelan- gelo's Sistine Chapel in one daz- zling, high tech hour of theatri- cal b rilliance. It's as if an Old-World masterpiece collided head on with the latest Star Wars movie, yet with a happy ending for all. Creative genius Marco Balich had enough credits to his name to be taken seriously when he first approached the Vatican in 2015 with grand ideas of breath- ing an alternative life into Michelangelo's magnificent Sis- tine frescoes. Balich's resumé already included such memo- rable live entertainment extrava- ganzas as the opening and clos- ing ceremonies of s everal Olympic games, the creation of the Italian Pavilion at Milan's EXPO 2015, the opening cere- mony of Dubai's 2017 World Cup, and numerous other over- the-top spectacles. But why the interest in the Sistine Chapel? For Balich, the answer was multi-layered. "We s trongly believe that the younger genera- tion needs to be inspired in their own language," Balich says. "An hour is the attention span…if we tell the story well, we can get them interested." The Venetian born native's idea was to take the already established magnifi- cence of the Sistine ceiling and altar, and apply a few new tricks "using the codes that relate to the younger generations that have grown up with PlayStation, that go to the movies in 3D, watch Netflix, but are on the other hand almost distracted with respect to this wonderful artistic patrimony." Intertwined with this goal was the desire to return to Rome her rightful heritage, to gift the Eternal City with a different manner of experiencing one of its mos t priceles s treas ures . Although moving, a typical visit to th e chapel is a frenzied, elbow-to-elbow limited period of time, and generally not the rev- erent silent meditation pushed by the ever-present hushers lurking about. However, the intention was never to one-up the real thing: "We can't do anything bigger than Michelangelo, it's like committing a sin to suggest that," according to show choreo- grapher and Olympic alumni Fotis Nikolaou. "We're dialogu- ing with this masterpiece in the new forms of art, video, dance, theater. It's like saying thank you to a masterpiece like the Sis- tine Chapel." With approval from the Vati- can, the collaboration began. Each step along the way was monitored by officials to assure the artistic, spiritual, and histori- cal accuracy of the multimedia interpretation. With a team of rock star status set designers, choreographers , and s pecial effects artists, Balich juggled a daily quest to create an exact and respectful portrayal of Michelan- gelo's work, yet bring an immer- sive experience to life in a man- ner never before attempted. Famed actor Pierfrancesco Favi- no was secured as the voice of Michelangelo, while legendary Sting provided the elegant "Dies Irae" soundtrack. Balich chose the Auditorium Conciliazione, Rome's old sym- phony hall located just a few miles from the Vatican, as the home for his s pectacle. The space was outfitted with a spe- cially built three quarters sur- round screen that aligns with the dimensions of the chapel ceiling. Exceedingly high-res olution images of the frescoes provided by the Vatican are projected, causing the audience to feel as if they are ins ide the S is tine Chapel. However, that's when stoic reality departs in an extra- ordinary fashion. The sixty-minute presentation opens as the audience is trans- ported to Rome circa 1508. Seemingly airborne with a bird's eye view of the city (thanks to the talents of s ome of the world's top video game creators) sites such as the Coliseum and Vatican glide by "underneath," setting the stage for this bygone era. The ensuing fifty some-odd minutes unfold to reveal the gamut of Michelangelo's path from pas s ionate s culptor to forced fres co artis t. S cenes develop with projections of face to face encounters with the cast of Sistine characters. Images hardly perceptible through squinted eyes are suddenly mul- tiple feet tall… and as grand in emotion as in size. Portrayals with dancers, acro- bats, laser lights, state of the art sound, and elaborate special effects bring to life Michelange- lo's painted interpretation of scenes from the Garden of Eden to the Final Judgement. Athletic dancers portraying Adam and Eve seem to defy gravity as they course through the projected imagery of the garden while vines appear to twist and climb the theatre walls. Beleaguered figures writhe as wind and rain deluge the stage while Noah's plight is played out. A ghost-like block of granite revolves on stage, then morphs as the sculp- tor mystically coaxes the beauti- ful form of D avid from the stone. Suspended over the stage to recreate his years spent inches from the S is tine ceiling, an anguished Michelangelo embod- ies his unrelenting drive in his recreation of creation. Balich is not without critics, however. Art conservators have accused him of "Disney-fica- tion," an intended insult that seems to amuse Balich – "But Disney was a genius. What's wrong with that?" Seeking to reassure the doubters, Balich has been careful to remind that he has been overtly obedient to the Vatican's overseeing of the pro- ject with no intention to over- s hadow the actual fres coes . However, he concedes that for himself, it has come at a price – "There are a few more special effects I would've indulged in!" Giudizio Universale opened to sold out audiences on March 15th and is slated to run for at least a full year. Balich's hope is that the show will become a per- manent feature in Rome. A fea- ture film is also in the works in order to take the production to audiences world-wide. Perhaps Vatican Museums director Barbara Jatta sums the heart of the project up deftly -- "It's a delicate way to tell a beautiful story of faith, art and history. And it's a way of com- municating the Sistine Chapel in a way that many generations can understand." H ow ever s pectacular, Giudizio Universale will never replicate the aw e-ins piring moments of gazing at the beauty of Michelangelo's ceiling and alter, nor reproduce the ritual of standing on tiles in the sacred building that houses the master- pieces -- the very places touched by the master's body and soul. But as bookends support the books, so might this show do for continued appreciation of its cel- ebrated subjects. "I seek beauty, the beauty is everything. It is my obsession." ~ Marco Balich LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS Marco Balich says his take on the Sistine Chapel has been especially conceived for the younger generations, who love technology and video games Giudizio Universale: Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel – a masterpiece comes to life PAULA REYNOLDS Dancing, visual effects and acting all make an appearance in the hour long show

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