Anyone who had seen Dancing at Lughnasa as produced by the Abbey in Dublin might have been astonished by the effect it created in the comparatively small-scale Teatrino di Palazzo at Mantus, where it was produced in Italian as Lúnasa. Danza d'agosto in May 1997, before proceeding to longer run in the 1997-98 season. The director Aldo Signoretti ingeniously exploited the comparatively cramped stage of this small theatre without deviating from Friel's stage directions, using a barely discernible screen of tulle to differentiate time past and time present. When the narrator Michael began speaking he appeared 'in a pool of light' among the audience rather than on stage. The effect produced such a sense of intimacy between actors and audience that the performance ended with a mutual ovation. Although Aldo Signoretti speaks of his company, Accademia Teatrale Campogallina della Città de Mantova, as 'humble interpreters' they have gained considerable expertise in acting Irish drama with previous performances of O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars, both of which feature in their repertoire. Rosangela Barone rendered valuable assistance in mounting the Friel play, which has been sensitively translated by Carla de Petris (and published by Bulzoni Editore). Lúnasa is the third play by Brian Friel to be staged in Italian, coming after productions of Il Guaritore (Faith Healer) in Rome and Molly Sweeney in Milan.