Arturo Brachetti
Encyclopedia
Quick-change
Quick-change is a performance style in which a performer or magician changes quickly within seconds from one costume into another costume in front of the audience.-Modern Quick-Change Artists:...
artist. In the Guinness Book of Records 2006 and 2007, he is described as the fastest quick change artist in the world.
Biography
Brachetti was born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. His career covers a wide artistic range and has made him an international name.
The change from one costume to another is performed in a matter of seconds, often by throwing a sheet up and completely changing costume by the time it falls. In the current show, Arturo performs 80 characters in one evening.
As a child, he frequented a seminary, where he met a young priest with the hobby of magic. Spending most of his time in the magical warehouse of the priest, Brachetti learnt all kind of magic tricks. At the age of 15, using costumes borrowed from the seminary's theatre, he invented and performed his first quick-change act, an art introduced to the world by Leopoldo Fregoli
Leopoldo Fregoli
Leopoldo Fregoli was a stage star and early Italian actor.-Quick-change Artist:Fregoli was the greatest protean artist of his day...
(1936).
His professional career began in 1978 in France at the parisian cabaret Paradis Latin
Paradis Latin
The Paradis Latin is a theater at number 28, rue du Cardinal Lemoine, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The closest métro stations are Cardinal Lemoine and Jussieu. It was first built in 1803 and was initially called Théâtre Latin. It burned down but was rebuilt in 1887-1889 by Gustave Eiffel. It was...
, under the direction of Jean Marie Rivière. This led to a starring role in André Heller's German production of "Flic Flac"(1981). From Germany he went to England, appearing at London's Piccadilly Theatre starring in the production of "Y" which ran for just over a year (1983–84). He was nominated for the prestigious Society of West End Theatre Award. That same year he performed at "The Covent Garden Christmas Gala" in the presence of the British Royal Family.
On his return to Italy, he participated as the guest star in 10 episodes of the television show "Al Paradise" for the Italian national television RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
(1985). It was after this that he was introduced to the Italian theatre scene. This led to a string of successful theatre productions (M. Butterfly, L'Histoire du Soldat, Varietà, In Principio Arturo, Amami Arturo, Il Mistero dei Bastardi Assassini, I Massibilli, etc.), and television appearances, making him one of the most critically acclaimed young actors of the Italian stage. He also memorably performed as the interval act at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
He returned to London to perform in Tony Harrison
Tony Harrison
Tony Harrison is an English poet and playwright. He is noted for controversial works such as the poem V and Fram, as well as his versions of ancient Greek tragedies, including the Oresteia and Hecuba...
's production of "Square Rounds" at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. In 1993/94 was also a co-presenter of 12 TV shows: "The Best of Magic" for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
. Then off to Disneyland-Paris where, with Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, he co-hosted the show A Night of Magic, which was transmitted internationally.
From 1995, with the Italian production company Compagnia Della Rancia and the director Saverio Marconi, Arturo continued to concentrate on creating and developing musicals for the Italian audience. His original musical "Fregoli" won the Biglietto D'Oro (Golden Ticket Award) for the best selling show in a season (280,000 tickets). His popularity continued with the production of "Brachetti in Technicolor" and "Midsummer's Night Dream".
In the opera field, he played the starring role in Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat".
His appearance on a live episode of The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
in 1999 gave him a "pick of the day" title on the program "Access Hollywood'. He also played a role in the Warner sitcom "Nikki".
In 1999 he presented his new show in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, produced by the Just for laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
festival. With his one-man-show "The Man With a Thousand Faces" which featured more than 80 transformations. The show won the Moliere Award
Molière Award
The Molière Award is the national theatre award of France decided by the Association professionnelle et artistique du théâtre and given out every April or May since 1987, during a ceremony called La Nuit des Molières . The award was created by Georges Cravenne, who was also the creator of the...
in Paris and then the Canadian Olivier Award. After 700 sold-out performances in Paris, the show went on tour in French-speaking countries, Germany and several cities in the USA.
In Christmas 2004, he was invited to perform in the Palais de L'Elisée in Paris in the presence of President Chirac and his 600 guests.
In 2006, Brachetti's show reached the proportion of a big musical production with over 1000 performances completed and in excess of 1.5 million tickets sold.
Arturo Brachetti directed several shows from 1994 onwards. In Germany: "Fantasissimo" and "1000 Nachte" at the Wintergarten
Berlin Wintergarten theatre
The Berlin Wintergarten theatre was a large variety theatre in Berlin that opened in approximately 1887 and was destroyed by bombs in June 1944. The name was eventually taken on by a theatre in Potsdamer Strasse in 1992....
Theatre in Berlin; in Italy: "I Corti", "Tel chi el Telun", "Meta fisico metà fa schifo" and the tour of singer Angelo Branduardi
Angelo Branduardi
Angelo Branduardi , is an Italian folk singer and composer who scored relevant success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.- Biography :...
.
In February 2006 he directed the show Anplagghed with the Italian comedians Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo. This show was one of the best selling show of the year in Italy. A film version of the show came out in cinema's in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in November 2006. In 2006 he was also the artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the new musical Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
and the new One Man Show
One man show
The term one-man show often referred to comedian, who would stand on stage and entertain an audience. With the advent of feminism, words and phrases such as one-woman show and comedienne have entered the modern-day lexicon....
of the comedian Enrico Montesano
Enrico Montesano
Enrico Montesano, born in Rome, Italy on 7 June 1945, is a popular actor for theater and cinema in Italy, as well as a showman. He starred in the 1977 film Pane, burro e marmellata and the 1978 film Le braghe del padrone, both times alongside Adolfo Celi.-Career:Montesano comes from a family...
.
On the 26th October 2009, Just for Laughs presented Arturo Brachetti in a new production by Sean Foley
Sean Foley
Sean Foley may refer to:*Seán Foley, Irish sportsman*Sean Foley , British comedian*Sean Foley , American film editor, whose credits include The Slumber Party Massacre...
titled 'Change' at London's Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
due to run through until 3 January 2010.