ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the representation of characters in Peter Tinniswood's English adaptation of Napoli milionaria!. Napoli milionaria! represents a turning-point in Eduardo's theatre, beginning the repertoire which is known as La cantata dei giorni dispari, juxtaposed with the earlier La cantata dei giorni pari, which reflects a less disillusioned approach to life and theatre. Almost two decades after the Neapolitan production, an English adaptation of Napoli milionaria! by the National Theatre translator Peter Tinniswood, directed by Richard Eyre, opened at the Lyttelton Theatre on 27 June 1991. It sees how the source language is not offensive even when the characters argue, and the main feature is toughness resulting from desperation, rather than anger. The importance of Napoli milionaria! lies in its ability to depict moral degradation resulting from war, and to illustrate how people can be dehumanized by the need to survive.
