by Emilia Costantini
Interview with Ranieri, who returns to the Teatro Sistina in Rome with the recital «All dreams still in flight»: «So many lost loves: I only thought about work. My commitment has always been to make parents, brothers and sisters feel good»
“I was born working.” Massimo Ranieri and his long history, back on the stage of the Sistina Theater with the new show “All dreams still in flight”, from March 29th to April 2nd: already sold out. The singer-actor, in addition to dreaming, continues to be very alert on stage, returning to dialogue with his very large audience.
A story that begins as a child…
«I started working when I was 7 years old, did all kinds of jobs: saleswoman, bartender, baker, and then I started performing in restaurants with my little voice and tips were precious … in short, I made it because we At home there were many : 8 children plus two parents, 10 people in one room. At the end of the big bed from dad and mom my brother and I slept, then there were three beds for the little girls… and then there was a toilet. This kid from before knocks on my door every now and then when I really don’t want to work. He says to me: come on, hurry up, go party… He’s the one who pushes me and plays with my shows, trips, hotels, applause, autographs…».
And is this a new path of courage that begins now?
‘Absolutely yes, as always without parachutes. The years pass and there are many reflections. I’m approaching my 72 years and I want the public to know that I have to tell and sing my story: describing the good times and the pains of the soul. In this show I have scoured my human and professional adventure, extracting the mistakes, the victories, the beautiful loves that ended badly, the defeats that turn your stomach and you can’t even eat anymore, that you want to hide at home , but you still have to make the best of a bad situation and react…».
Were there many lost loves?
“Well, how can you blame a woman who leaves you because all I can think about is work and she feels neglected? But my commitment has always been to make my parents, brothers, sisters feel good… having to face the ax of the rent, the plate at the table, paying off the family debts… This is my life, a journey where you hope that there will always be the sun, but the clouds come, the rain, and if you can’t protect yourself, you get wet… then the sun comes back».
Were father Umberto and mother Giuseppina happy to have an artist son?
“Mom didn’t believe it, she was a woman with her feet on the ground. Dad encouraged me, he felt my potential, also because he played the trumpet as a boy, and I’m sure I inherited the love of music from him, from his DNA. But when I signed my first deal with a record company at the age of 12, she almost fainted…».
To satisfaction?
‘Mostly for the 300,000 lire they gave me as an advance. He barely earned 30,000 a month! We got on the elevator and when he hit the down button his legs gave way. Also, he didn’t know where to hide the huge wad of money: he put it in the inside pocket of his jacket, it was so swollen it looked like a tit… He was afraid they were going to rob him. But then my mother was astonished… Nicknamed Carabiniere».
What did he tell you?
“When Dad puts the money on the table, he looks at us askance and calls: Where did you get the money, did you steal it? And my father reassures her: No, Peppi, that’s the money from the advance. But she wasn’t thrilled at all because she wanted a steady job for her son and not a precarious job as a singer.
A singer, then an actor who also changed his name: from Giovanni Calone to Massimo Ranieri.
«The first pseudonym was Gianni Rock, my idol was the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. Over time and my gradual endorsement, my record companies realized that there were too many famous Giannis. Once, when I expressed my delight at having performed for Prince Ranieri of Monaco, they advised me to use Ranieri as my surname, and Massimo instead of Gianni sounded better».
The actual acting breakthrough with Giorgio Strehler?
“How can you deny it! I never went to academies, my school was the Neapolitan street school. Then I made my stage debut with Patroni Griffi and Giorgio De Lullo, my teachers, but it was they who advised me to work with the legendary director of Piccolo. Luckily, he was the one who got me looking for the role of Yang Sun in Sezuan’s Good Soul: I never imagined directing from the theater made person. The excitement was so great that once during rehearsals, having a panic attack, I decided to run away. I took a taxi to the airport, but when I got there and was about to get out, the child in me said: If you close the door, it’s over. I told the taxi driver to take me back to Piccolo».
An artist at 360 degrees, between music, theater, cinema. Does the maturity of advancing age weigh?
“I don’t want to grow up, I want to keep having fun as long as I have physical and mental strength to help me. maturity? It will never come, this game is so beautiful and brought a lot of joy to Giovanni Calone».
March 26, 2023 (Modification March 26, 2023 | 07:15)
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