Arts University Bournemouth [AUB] 
Palace Court Theatre, Bournemouth 
Andrea Pellegrini
16 May 2024
Set in the 1700s this Italian farce meets Bridgerton revolves around the story of Anzoletto, newly married to the demanding Cecilia who has very expensive tastes. Anzoletto has just bought a new apartment and is having it refurbished, this is where the story begins…
From decorators after Anzoletto for money, a sister who hates his new wife, a gossipy maid, nosy neighbours and a disgruntled Uncle, this play is full of colourful and interesting characters.
Adam Ellen-Martin playing Anzoletto was superb, his Italian accent was faultless, and his comedy timing impeccable. He was a joy to watch, with massive stage presence.
Megan Barnwell (Cecilia) and Brooke Monet (Domenica) were excellent in their portrayal of the warring sister in laws, again impeccable Italian accents. Both of them mesmerising to watch literally lighting up the stage with their performances.
Lucy Rose Hutchinson as Lucietta the maid’s accent was flawless, I loved her portrayal of the gossipy maid, again, massive stage presence and superb facial expression.
Maja Lonnroth as Checca and Lucy Jayne as Rosina the nosy sisters – neighbours from upstairs were hilarious and so much fun!
Jake O’Mahoney playing Oswaldo was very comical, another great Italian accent, loved watching him, a shame his character wasn’t in it more!
Great performances from Jamie McLaughlin (Count Ottavio) and Robert Elson (Fabrizio) as the two ‘friends’ or should I say hangers on… both very funny.
Teddy Sterry (Onifrio/Toni) and Avery Kirin (Lauro/Prosdocimo) were very comical as the decorators and were excellent in their supporting roles.
Finlay Whitfield as Lorenzino had just the right amount of mischief and fun about him.
Solo Candy as Christofolo was aged up well and played his part well as the older disgruntled Uncle.
Well done to every member of the cast for their authentic Italian accents and managing to keep them up for two hours!
The set was stunning, painted beautifully and the revolving back drop and windows were a great touch. I really enjoyed the change over scenes, and really felt like I had been transported back in time, well done to everyone who worked on the set!
Makeup and wig department did an amazing job, some of those wigs were huge! Everyone looked fabulous.
What can I say about the costumes, well it must have taken hours to make them, a lot of blood sweat and tears but it was all so worth it, the colours, the attention to detail, all of it so authentic and gorgeous.
This was such a fun extravaganza of comedy and explosions of colourful characters, really not what I expected at all! Well done to Director Ken Robertson! I really enjoyed La Casa Nova, and would urge everyone to go and see it. It is quite long at 2 hours 15 mins including the interval but well worth it!
I almost forget to mention the cornettos in the interval, very nice touch!
Wishing the cast and crew a successful run and good luck for the future, definitely some stars in the making in this production!
