The Tenth Voyage of Capitano Giangurgolo Coccodrillo Fanfarone Matamoros Spavento by Ian Thal

The Tenth Voyage of Capitano Giangurgolo Coccodrillo Fanfarone Matamoros Spavento features the commedia dell'arte's notoriously handsome adventurer, Capitano Spavento, as he exposes a villainous cabal of plagiarists and liars, including Homer, Shahrazad, Sindbad the Sailor, Ajib bin Khazib the One-Eyed Qalandar and the Venetian, Marco Polo – all of whom have either claimed his adventures for...
The Tenth Voyage of Capitano Giangurgolo Coccodrillo Fanfarone Matamoros Spavento features the commedia dell'arte's notoriously handsome adventurer, Capitano Spavento, as he exposes a villainous cabal of plagiarists and liars, including Homer, Shahrazad, Sindbad the Sailor, Ajib bin Khazib the One-Eyed Qalandar and the Venetian, Marco Polo – all of whom have either claimed his adventures for themselves or attributed them to others far less courageous! Tonight, the Capitano will tell the true story of his love and heroism to a blood-thirsty cyclops!
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The Tenth Voyage of Capitano Giangurgolo Coccodrillo Fanfarone Matamoros Spavento

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear:
    22 Oct. 2021
    “ An adventure for the ages as we finally hear the true story from Captiano himself! Well done. ”
  • Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos:
    16 Jun. 2019
    “ You can't anticipate what you might get into with one of Thal's plays, but it will be unlike anything you've known before. A master wordsmith, his full length monologue is a tale of fantastic tales piled one on top of the other and delivered by the pompous, larger-than-life Capitano, a character so ridiculous, so very full of himself, it's a wonder we can like him at all. But like him we do in spite of his Trumpian qualities. I would enjoy seeing this play in a dinner theatre. Godspeed to the actor cast as Capitano! ”
  • Asher Wyndham:
    1 Feb. 2019
    “ Most storytelling solo shows are boring -- no action, just narration, no reason for telling the story. Thal, a player of masks and scholar of commedia dell'arte, knows how to imbue a solo with his dynamic character, playing space through physicality and polyphony. Capitano appeals to us, even when he repels us through chauvinism and bigotry, because the theatre that he creates through imagination and speech-acts is analogous to our political theatre starring Trump and Co. Capitano showcases what we see in our culture and enemies: narcissism that's almost psychotic. Produce/perform this! Bravo! ”

Character Information

While an earlier draft was written as a full-length monologue, the current version can be performed by a cast of five with doubling. Narrative may also be accompanied by dumb-shows, puppets, cantastoriae, et cetera.

  • Capitano Giangurgolo Coccodrillo Fanfarone Matamoros Spavento
    Ageless,
    Castillian, Spaniard
    ,
    Male
    The Capitano is based on the archetypical character from the commedia dell'arte. He defines himself by expressions of nationalistic machismo and a chauvinistic and bigoted contempt towards all others – women and Jews in particular – consequently, ironic casting is encouraged.

    A swaggering bullshit artist, he is so enchanted by whatever he is saying in the moment that he pays little mind as to whether it coheres with what was said just moments before or what he plans to say next. His greatest fear is someone might call him a liar, yet he imagines himself too clever to be caught. On those rare occasions when he realizes that he is straining credulity his anxiety is quickly assuaged by the next marvelous utterance that occurs to him — no matter how obviously he contradicts what was said before.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Cyclops
    Jewish
    ,
    Male
    Either mythological one-eyed giant who appears in both Homer's Odyssey and the Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor whom Capitano Spavento mistakes for a rabbi, or perhaps a rabbi whom Spavento mistakes for the said mythological one-eyed giant. Spavento will attribute to the Cyclops many of the anti-Semitic libels that were in circulation in 16th century Christian Europe.

    He is however greater scholar than the author of this entertainment, and will flummox Spavento by subjecting the Capitano's narrative to textual analysis.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Shahryar
    Persian, Zoroastrian
    ,
    Male
    Legendary Shahanshah of the ancient and otherwise well-documented Sassanid Empire – also known as Ērānshahr, or “Empire of the Iranians”. One of the protagonists of the One-Thousand Nights and One Night. May he be immortal.

    Shahryar is a despotic mass murderer. He is a misogynist and if he were not fictitious, he would be insulted to discover he was being portrayed by a female, gender non-binary, or gender queer performer. By all means, insult his memory.


    The performer will be needed to double in other roles.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Shah Zaman
    Persian, Zoroastrian
    ,
    Male
    The younger brother of Shahanshah Shahryar who rules Samarkand in his elder brother's name.


    Like his elder brother, Shah Zaman is a despotic mass murderer. He is a misogynist and if he were not fictitious, he would be insulted to discover he was being portrayed by a female, gender non-binary, or gender queer performer. By all means, insult his memory.

    The performer will be needed to double in other roles.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Shahrazad
    Persian, Zoroastrian
    ,
    Female
    The one-thousand-and-third wife of Shahanshah Shahryar, stalling for time. Sometimes referred to in Western literature as Scherazade

    The performer will be needed to double in other roles.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Other Roles:
    The Ifrit's Concubine, Zubaydah, Sindbad, Sindbad's-Widow-To-Be, The Sailor, the Man from Cadiz, Ajib bin Khazib, and The Qalandar,
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Chaos Theater Collective
    ,
    2022

Awards

Independent International Award for Improper Dramaturgy «Neem-2018», Long List
,
Vibrating Body
,
2018