Cinematografo

A comic stage piece arranged in two tableaux that traces a household and its neighbors as they confront the arrival of moving-picture entertainment. Brief scenes combine domestic slapstick, romantic entanglements and neighborhood gossip, while characters alternately celebrate and fear the new amusement, blaming sensational films for moral disorder and petty crime. Songs, a chorus and explicit stage directions enliven exchanges among parents, youths and local authorities, producing topical farce and satirical observations about changing tastes, social pretensions and the disruptive impact of modern popular culture on everyday community life.