Salvador Kent
The Museum of Alchemists is a hot and sweaty place during a heatwave. A man meekly walks in and looks at us. He wears an enormous trenchcoat. We all lock eyes at least once. There must be, ten, fifteen of us in the audience. He switches off the light. The stage is illuminated. There’s a chair, a bottle of a strong, distilled spirit. These are the only visual elements until the play reaches crescendo.
In Roots – Radici Antonio Anzilotti De Nitto draws from stories he has found about ordinary German lives in World War 2, broken apart by emerging fascism. A gay man affirms his identity through love. A protégé boxer has to fight to survive. A man in a mental institution dreams of being set free. De Nitto plays these roles with a remarkable quality, linking them by a countdown, or up to ten.
The entire work hinges on the quality of his performance and he rises to the challenge. De Nitto is an intensely physical actor that imprints moments as memories rather than plots – the boxer falling to the floor, the lover letting go of his true love’s hand, the patient tearing up his letter and speaking of his dream. He has a remarkable quality that Italian actors are proud of having, a quality of immersing you in a story with the body primarily. Some anglophone critics call it melodrama but it is much more sophisticated than that. It is to use this gathering we call theatre with such intensity and reverence that the art becomes extra-real, dancing on the tightrope of our attention.
The first story is the strongest strictly dramaturgically, a forbidden love that could have done with being better explored. The third story could do with the construction of a character from slightly less stereotypes, especially since it’s set in a mental institution but generally De Nitto toed the line well, and his performance suited the style of acting set. This was De Nitto’s first time performing in English, and this is a remarkable feat. That being said, if this was to play further to Anglophone audiences, I would suggest there could be some more work done not on translation, which was strong, but on the level of diction. The characters were compelling but suffered from a language barrier which will erade over time, but is at the moment keeping all but their most intense images behind it.
Still, what images! What a fine performance from De Nitto. He will surely find his rhythm over the course of Prague Fringe and even this first performance in English produced moments of pure theatre that sucker-punch you in their rage, in their reality and of course their poetry. Roots is worth a watch here in Prague.
Recommended Drink: I would say pair this with a glass of grappa, but we’re in Prague so get on the Fabians from the bar next door (they’re moreish).
Catch Roots (Radici) at Prague Fringe 2026 on the 29th or 30th May. Times differ but you can find tickets from the Prague Fringe Online Box Office.
Shay Mace
