Aldo Nicolaj

Aldo Nicolaj’s play tells the story of three elderly people, the retired days of the last few living members of the “iron generation”. The survived and struggled XX. the end of the century reaches them in a crowded housing estate. The woman remained gentle and cheerful — but the once strong boys who were once brave soldiers, then hard-working workers, waist-high fathers, proud, self-conscious men — were now mindful, shabby, grumpy gentlemen. Who alone, who lives just tolerated by his family, but in any case lives alone ... ends up in this little space, waiting on the bench waiting without a goal - and exchanging words with someone who has acted similarly. They don't know each other, but slowly as they run into each other on the bench ... they'll become friends. And their friendship gradually fills them up, the feeling of emptiness is replaced by the security of belonging somewhere, the reassuring routine of newly acquired habits.

Bocca and Paglia meet by chance. The meeting of these restless, mentally lonely people becomes a turning point for them. Yesterday, still resigned to the sad results of their lives, today they rebelled, deciding to run away... To run away from hateful everyday life, from sad thoughts, the selfishness of others, to run away from themselves. With the courage of boys, they develop a secret plan. Their motto is independence, freedom!

Luca Cupiello, like every Christmas, prepares the crib, amid the disinterest of his wife Concetta and his son Tommasino. Ninuccia, the other daughter, writes a letter to her husband in which she communicates that she leaves him for her lover. The letter happens in the hands of Luca who hands it over to his son-in-law, who thus learns of his wife's betrayal. During lunch on Christmas Eve, the two rivals, who were confronted by Luca's carelessness, clash violently.

Story of a man with a double personality, on one side his character is honest and sincere, which makes him appreciate reality and participates with sorrow in the tragedies of our times: his other side is that of a dreamer and he identifies himself with Swift's hero Gulliver.