by Maurizio Porro
His parents were vaudeville artists and Gino was born in 1933 on the stage of the Dal Verme Theater in Milan
died in Rome at the age of 89 Gino Landi (born Luigi Gregori), who was the most famous choreographer and director in the world of light entertainment. His parents were vaudeville artists and Gino was born in 1933 on the stage of the Dal Verme Theater in Milan. At first he wanted to be a dancer, but then he turned to choreography, his ideal source of inspiration for the vision of the stage space. They start with the latest Macario reviews (the debut ’59 with Non sparate alla cicogna with Mondaini, Blaufieber ’65), then stage many famous operettas (a special eye for Johann Strauss), at the Trieste Festival and in the most important Italian theaters . With Raffaella Carr, Mina and Lorella Cuccarini he was the master of variety on Saturday night.
He had great performers (Mazzuccato, Massimini, Pandolfi), collaborated with masters such as Molinari and the set and costume designer Coltellacci, and faced the series of works such as The Tales of Hoffmann directed by Oren (as well as A Barber of Seville in ’89 ) and then cheer, work in Rai, the sensational Saturday nights on TV. The titles of his variety shows are legendary: Scala Reale, Giardino d’inverno, Partitissima and Canzonissima between the ’60s and ’70s, until the success of this puppet jewel there is no lira, reenactment of the variety show; and then the ballets Fatti e Fattacci with Proietti and Ornella Vanoni, the GBShow with Bramieri, Ma che sera with Carr and Noschese, arriving in 2002 to direct the Sanremo Festival directed by Baudo. And Fellini wanted him to curate the choreography of the famously brilliant ecclesiastical fashion show in Rome in 1971 and some scenes of Casanova with the mechanical puppet, while working alongside Sergio Leone in Once Upon a Time in America and the Tavianis, Moretti, Petri was , Zampa. In the theater, after the long apprenticeship with Macario (Don’t shoot the reverend) and with Dapporto (The Honourable), he began a 40-year continuous collaboration with Garinei and Giovannini, whose productions became one of the pillars in dozens of famous musicals, from Angels in the flag to Un pair of wings, from Alleluja good people to Accentuamo la lamp, from Rugantino with its many editions to Add a seat at the table with its thousands of replicas from 1974 to today. And Felicibumta with Bramieri and Bravo! with Montesano, up to the TV edition of the Grand Duchess and the Waiters with Valentina Cortese instead of Wandissima, up to the last Roman holiday with Autieri and Ghini.
In 1998 he directed Cole Porter’s Can Can top music, in 2004 he staged Lhar’s Paganini and in 2011 he choreographed the musical Secret of Sea by Renato Serio. Titles of popular and popular shows and broadcasts, often associated with the faces of comedians and soubrettes (Rascel, Proietti, Ferilli, Noschese, Valori, Panelli) and also with famous songs by Trovajoli, who wrote unforgettable melodies. In Rugantino (Roma nun fa la dummata tonight, which Landi distributes to the whole company divided into pairs at the end of the first half) and the bestseller Add a place to the table, with the famous songs of the country priest Dorelli, who us saves from the second universal deluge. Landi creates a perfect mix of music and dance, favoring the collective aspect, thus becoming part of the two great authors in their musical pacifism, according to which the victory of man is in singing and dancing all together, uniting the audience in a party atmosphere in which Landi knows all the movements to become friends, preferring collective moments to the performance of individuals, because the happiness of an ensemble consists precisely in moving and dancing as if it were a single theme and in this miracle stood people smiling to which the applause of the audience Landi was second to none.
January 17, 2023 (change January 17, 2023 | 16:54)
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