by Cesare Zucca

Ivan Cotroneo is an Italian actor, director, producer, writer, born in Naples (Italy).
As a director he has directed One Kiss, Kryptonite and the currently showing Fourteen Days. As a successful screenwriter, Ivan collaborated for Ozpetek’s big hit Mine Vaganti, on the screenplays of the films of Pappi Corsicato (Chimera, I Vesuviani), Renato De Maria (Paz! and La prima linea), Daniele Luchetti (Dillo con parole mie), Riccardo Milani (Piano, solo), Maria Sole Tognazzi (The man who loves), and beautiful Luca Guadagnino’s Io sono l’amore.

For television he has written, among other things, Un posto Tranquillo directed by Luca Manfredi, Pinocchio, directed by Alberto Sironi, Sissi by Xavier Schwarzenberger and Storia di Laura by Andrea Porporati among other, including writing and directing the 2 succeful series La Compagnia Del Cigno ( The Company of the Swan) filmed at Milan Coservatory Giuseppe Verdi.

Cotroneo and the cast of “Amanti”

Subsequently, she made herself known to the general public with the brilliant series Una mamma imperfetta, which recounts the daily life of four mothers today grappling with family, work, home and children at the same time.
He will return to film direction first with Il Natale della mamma imperfetta (2013) and then with A kiss (2016), which has three teenagers in search of happiness as protagonists.
After writing and directing The Company of the Swan, he returns to the cinema in 2021 with the film 14 Giorni (Fourteen Days), starring Thomas Trabacchi and Carlotta Natoli in the role of a couple in forced cohabitation.

Ivan Cotroneo

What a talent!
I would call Ivan a “cantastorie”  with a  great talent in telling stories, using various languages: books, cinema, television, songs, translations and now also theatre  with the hilarious play Amanti ( Lovers) that I wrote and directed.
The play is a brilliant and funny comedy, with situations and dialogues that make you laugh, but also an exploration of the feelings of a couple who find refuge, comfort, amusement, but also worry, concern, and perhaps danger in the state of state of being clandestine.

The Cast of Amanti and Writer Director Ivan Cotroneo

Amanti follows the story of Giulio and Claudia’s relationship, interspersing their meetings in the hotel with the dialogues that each of the two has with Dr. Cioffi, who obviously does not know that her two problematic patients are having an affair.

Thus their story unfolds between encounters in bed and the truths or lies that they simultaneously tell the doctor, to whom they go alone or together with their respective partners, Laura and Roberto. Everything seems to go according to plan, but in the end something turns everything upside down….

The story is that of a betrayal, so up to here nothing unexpected, but the story intrigues from the beginning, from their first meeting down at the psychotherapist of both, to their secret meetings in a hotel room, from an adventure transition into a real relationship with a very unexpected epilogue…

A succession of misunderstandings, missteps, lies, a cliché text of extramarital affairs, a comedy about love, sex, betrayal and marriage, about adventures, relationships, the male and female universe and, ultimately, the ultimate pursuit of happiness , who always decides to take unexpected unexpected paths
Excellent cast, Fabrizia Secchi, Orsetta De Rossi Eleonora Russo  Diego d’Elia and an irresistable and flamboyant Massimiliano Gallo.

Fabrizia Secchi and Massimiliano Gallo

Mr. Cotroneo adds popular italian songs, music and greatly introduces cast and crew credits on a big screen that make us feeling like going to see a movie, a great one!

At Manzoni Theatre, Milan
Till Feb 26 , 2023
To buy tickets click here