"Nuts"

“Nuts” by Tom Topor – February 5 at Cinecity, Lignano Sabbiadoro
As part of the ERT FVG Theatre Season

Debuted on Broadway in 1980 and later adapted into a film starring Barbra Streisand, “Nuts” tells the intense and uncomfortable story of Claudia Draper, a high-class escort accused of murdering an elderly client. To prevent her from serving a twenty-five-year sentence, her family attempts to have her declared legally incompetent, trying to commit her to a psychiatric institution.

Claudia, however, refuses to be considered “crazy.” She rejects the lawyer chosen by her family and entrusts her defense to Aaron Levinsky, a court-appointed attorney capable of seeing beyond appearances and uncovering the dark, manipulative dynamics that have shaped her life for years.

The play raises a crucial question:

Why does a woman choose to face a trial to defend her own voice and truth?
And why does everyone, including her family, want to silence her by labeling her unstable?

At a time when violence against women continues to rise, “Nuts” invites the audience to enter the hidden workings of a “normal” family — a normality that too often conceals abuse, pain, and secrets.

Featuring a powerful cast — with Vanessa Gravina as Claudia, alongside Nicola Rignanese, Fabrizio Coniglio, Davide Lorino, Paola Sambo, and Maurizio Zacchigna — the show becomes an emotional journey into a seemingly ordinary family context, yet riddled with what people try to hide.

By Tom Topor
Adaptation and direction by Fabrizio Coniglio
Starring Vanessa Gravina, Nicola Rignanese, Fabrizio Coniglio, Davide Lorino, Paola Sambo, Maurizio Zacchigna
Production: La Contrada – Teatro Stabile di Trieste