by Olli Cibrario
I saw Brokeback Mountain: A Play with Music last night at Teatro Carcano, and the production left a strong impression – so much that I thought about it all night. Bringing such an iconic story to the stage — already shaped in the public imagination by Annie Proulx’s short story and Ang Lee’s film — is a bold move, especially for a conservative Italian audience.
At the centre are the two leads, Edoardo Purgatori as Ennis Del Mar and Filippo Contri as Jack Twist. Their performances anchor the whole evening. Purgatori gives Ennis a brooding, internalised energy — a man wrestling with desires that define him as much as they terrify him. His restraint feels charged and painfully real. Contri’s Jack, by contrast, is all warmth, openness and restless longing. Together, they build a chemistry that is tender, volatile, and definitely convincing, allowing the audience to feel both the love and the inevitable suffering embedded in their story.
If the actors drive the narrative, Malika Ayane gives it breath. She doesn’t just sing; she colours the emotions, shaping the atmosphere with her warm, smoky voice. She becomes the emotional through-line of the show — the sound of longing, loneliness, and memory echoing across the mountains. Each time she enters, the air shifts: more reflective, more textured, more alive. Her presence lifts the entire production, giving it a haunting, lingering resonance.
The staging is intentionally minimal: clean lines, subtle video projections on mountain-shaped screens, and a set that refuses to compete with the emotions onstage. This simplicity pays off. It keeps the human story in focus and lets the music expand and breathe. The result is a production that honours the original without imitating it. It finds its own tone — quieter, more distilled — and explores desire, fear, and endurance through voice, movement, and song.
Brokeback Mountain: A Play with Music isn’t just a theatrical adaptation. It’s a compact, affecting meditation on love constrained by circumstance, powered by two compelling performances and illuminated by Malika Ayane’s unforgettable voice. A moving, beautifully judged piece of theatre.
DECEMBER
Milano – Teatro Carcano (10,11, 12, 13, 14
Genova – Teatro Ivo Chiesa (16
Altopascio (LU) – Teatro Puccini (17
Vicenza – Teatro Comunale (20/21
Reggio Calabria – Teatro Cilea
Cosenza – Teatro Rendano
JANUARY
Montegiorgio (FM) – Teatro Alaleona (6
Faenza (RA) – Teatro Masini (7, 8, 9
Figline Valdarno – Teatro Comunale Garibaldi (10-11
Rosignano Solvay (LI) – Teatro Solvay (12
Roma – Teatro Quirino (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
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