More Change with Ennio Marchetto at Southbank

Hot on the heels of Arturo Brachetti (See News, 27 Aug 2009), fellow Italian quick-change artist Ennio Marchetto will bring his award-winning show to town this winter. Ennio the Paper Cartoon launches a new UK tour from Inverness’ Eden Court on 28 September 2009 before visiting a dozen other venues across the country and culminating with a Christmas season at London’s Southbank Centre from 11 to 20 December 2009.

Rooted in a history of commedia dell arte, Venetian-born Marchetto began his career making costumes and masks for the Venice Carnivale in the 1980s. Since launching his international career at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1989, Marchetto has enjoyed West End success (nominated for a Best Entertainment Olivier in 1994), appeared on the Royal Variety Show and performed to more than a million people in 70 countries.

In his solo performance, the self-billed “One-Man-Living-Cartoon-Factory”, Marchetto mixes mime, dance, music and “theatrical origami”, quick-change costumes made out of card-board and paper, to morph into more than 200 cultural icons from Lady Gaga to Santa Claus, Mona Lisa to Susan Boyle.

Meanwhile, Arturo Brachetti – Change, which is written and directed by The Right Size’s Sean Foley, runs at the Garrick Theatre for a limited season from 26 October 2009 (previews from 19 October) to 3 January 2010.