With this adaptation of the Divine Comedy, La Fura dels Baus aimed to present an interpretation of Dante’s singular and fascinating universe. The unclassifiable poem of the Florentine genius, universally considered as the cornerstone of Italian literature, has fascinated readers over the centuries because of its symbolic power. The circular conception of hell, the landscapes, the characters, its visionary scope are all elements of a narrative that Dante conceived as a mixture of the natural and the supernatural, the divine and the transcendental. The Fura dels Baus reinterpreted the piece as a series of hallucinations by a man who lives between heaven and earth, between paradise, purgatory and hell. The performance recreates Dante’s own journey in his work, through the seven circles wich lead to hell until witnessing the ultimate sin without hope in all its divine, sublime glory.

More than fifty people participated in this macro-spectacle as actors, technicians and designers. The nearly thirty minutes of this free interpretation of the Divine Comedy were composed of a spectacular staging consisting of large-scale special effects and sound effects.

La Fura dels Baus conceived the piece based on three different levels taken from Dante’s work, dedicating to each level two differentiated scenic movements; “The fall of the archangel” and “The descent to the inferno” or “The capital sins” (Hell); “The expiration of sins” and “The resurrection of the soul” (Purgatory); “The slow ascent to heaven” or “The paradise” (Paradise). In the second movement of Hell, to celebrate the Biennale of Valencia, seven Valencian designers collaborated in the design of the costumes: Juan Andrés Mompó, Presan Rodriguéz, Manuel Fernández, Hannibal Laguna, Francis Montesinos, Amparo Chordá and Álex Vidal.

Creación y dirección
Jürgen Müller, Pera Tantiña
(La Fura dels Baus).

Música
Miki Espuma (La Fura dels Baus).

Diseño de sonido
Marc Sardà

Diseño de iluminación
David Hoyos

Diseño atrezzo rueda
Esterina Zarrillo

Jefe técnico
Alberto Pastor

Coordinación técnica
Pedro Pablo Hervás

Regiduría
Pilar L. Alpáñez

Iluminación de la rueda
Ziggy Durand

Construcción de la rueda
Masters

Responsable riggers
«Pulgui»

Riggers
Alex Aldama,Julio Cámara, Francisquillo Chaves, Boris Espuny, Javier «Harry» García, Carlos Alberto Maese, Juan Carlos Mendoza, Juan Navarro.

Actores
Txell Esteban, Sónia Gómez, Oriol Jané, Cecilia Inés Petrilli, Damià Plensa, Joaquín Torner, Penélope Serrano.

Asistente en Florencia
Atta Zarrillo

Diseñadores vestuario
Francis Montesinos, Álex Vidal, Juan Andrés Mompó, Hannibal Laguna, Amparo Chordá, Manuel Fernández, Presen Rodríguez.

Estilistas
Gabriel-Alvero

Producción ejecutiva
Carlota Gurt

Asistente de producción
Esther Rodríguez

Estreno
19/6/02, en la plaza Pitti, Florencia.

Representaciones
1

Un proyecto de Luigi Settembrini para Clasico Italia con la colaboración de la Bienal de Valencia y el patrocinio de la Generalitat Valenciana.

This macro-performance was presented in Florence, Dante’s homeland, for the Clasico Italia competition, and recreated some of the key points of The Divine Comedy using large staging elements that, from that point on, would become part of the imagery of La Fura dels Baus.