Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico is a magic and theater show created and performed by Disguido, Guido Marini and Isabella R. Zanivan, on stage at Teatro Olimpico in Rome, Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17 (00196 Rome), from April 7 to 11, 2027, with seven performances: Wednesday the 7th, Thursday the 8th and Friday, April 9 at 20:30, Saturday, April 10 at 16:30 and 20:30, and Sunday, April 11 at 15:00 and 18:30. You get there by Metro A to Flaminio and then tram 2 to Piazza Mancini terminus, from where you walk about 500 meters along Viale del Pinturicchio. Alternatively, bus 910 runs from Termini to the Pannini stop. Prices published by the theater range from €24 (side balcony with railing) to €43.50 (gold front orchestra), plus a presale fee of €3.60 to €6.50. For under-12s there are reduced prices from €16.80 to €26.60 plus presale fee. Tickets are sold on the venue's official website, with an online fee of €1.50 per ticket, or at the theater box office.

Language: performed in Italian. No English version or English surtitles are announced.

100 minutes of illusion, physical theater, quick-change, dance and comedy, built as a tribute to the movies: that's how Teatro Olimpico presents Cinemagic. Disguido are a Roman couple in life and on stage, awarded the Mandrake d'Or in France and featured on Penn and Teller's American show. At Olimpico they're at home: their show about the movies has already filled this hall over several seasons. For a family looking for a show to see together during the spring holidays, it's one of the safest bets of the season.

Cinemagic by Disguido at Olimpico: dates and times of the seven performances

Cinemagic by Disguido is on at Teatro Olimpico from April 7 to 11, 2027, with seven performances over five days, according to the theater's official page.

All performances

• Wednesday, April 7, 2027, 20:30.
• Thursday, April 8, 2027, 20:30.
• Friday, April 9, 2027, 20:30.
• Saturday, April 10, 2027, 16:30.
• Saturday, April 10, 2027, 20:30.
• Sunday, April 11, 2027, 15:00.
• Sunday, April 11, 2027, 18:30.

Which performance to choose

The weekend offers four performances, two on Saturday and two on Sunday: these suit families best. Sunday at 15:00 is the ideal time if you're bringing young children, because the show ends in the late afternoon. The weekday evenings at 20:30 have the widest choice of seats.

How long it lasts

The theater gives a running time of 100 minutes. A 20:30 performance therefore ends around 22:10, not counting any interval, and the Sunday 15:00 one just before 17:00.

What you'll see: the movies in the hands of illusionists

Cinemagic is a show that blends magic, physical theater, quick-change, dance, comedy and visual poetry in a tribute to the Seventh Art, created and performed by Disguido.

Scenes inspired by great films

The show, the theater explains, draws on the masterpieces that shaped film history and takes the audience through a series of evocative, visionary scenes. Impossible appearances, iconic characters, cinematic suggestions and stage effects follow one another like a live film. The comparison the theater chose is the magic lantern: the two performers seem to multiply on stage like the reflections projected by that ancestor of cinema.

A mixed language

Cinemagic is not a classic magic show, with the magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It's physical and visual theater, in which illusion is one tool and comedy another. Audiences looking for sleight of hand will find it, and so will those looking for theater. This mix is Disguido's real strength.

For audiences of all ages

The theater stresses that the story can speak to audiences of all ages. The under-12 prices in almost every section confirm the family focus.

The reviews quoted by the theater

Olimpico's page quotes four-star reviews from La Repubblica, Il Giornale, Occhio alla cultura, Corriere dello spettacolo and Edinburgh's Fringe Guru, and words of praise from colleagues and TV personalities like Silvan, Mago Forest, Raul Cremona, Gerry Scotti, Vito Lupo and Uri Geller. A list that says a lot about how highly the couple is regarded in the world of magic.

Who Disguido are: Guido Marini and Isabella R. Zanivan

Disguido are an Italian duo of illusionists made up of Guido Marini and Isabella Raponi Zanivan, formed in Rome in 2005, who combine illusion, theater and magic in theatrical shows.

Guido Marini

Guido Marini is an actor, director and set designer, a graduate of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. He trained with theater masters like Orazio Costa, Nicola Zavagli, Ugo Chiti, Olga Melnik, Claudio Spadola, Nikolaj Karpov and Marilyn Fried. It's his training as a man of the theater, more than as a conjurer, that gives Disguido's shows their stage imprint.

Isabella R. Zanivan

Isabella Raponi Zanivan is an actress, dancer and psychologist, a Sapienza graduate with a thesis titled "Trust in the Illusionist." The thesis title is already a program: magic works only if the audience agrees to trust whoever performs it, and she studied this pact as a psychologist before practicing it on stage.

Early days with Tom Waits

The duo debuted in 2006 at Teatro Flaiano in Rome with "Magic Waits," a show accompanied by a cover band playing Tom Waits songs. The same year Marini and Zanivan founded the cultural association Oltre la Scena, through which they produce their shows.

Chapeau Cinema and the impossible hats

In 2010 they created "Chapeau Cinema," the act they took to the FISM World Championships of Magic in Rimini in 2015 and in Busan, South Korea, in 2018. The act renewed the art of chapeaugraphy, inventing hats shaped like a bull, a telephone, a shark and a pencil sharpener, and weaving them together with the language of film. That's where the idea for Cinemagic came from.

Abracadabra and magic in Rome

In 2017 they launched "Abracadabra, la notte dei miracoli," an international magic festival hosted for several seasons at Teatro Ghione in Rome over the Christmas period and taken on tour in Italy. Disguido also run a magic shop, teach theater and magic courses and workshops, and consult for theater and film productions.

Disguido's awards and television

Disguido's best-known award is the Mandrake d'Or, given in 2013 by the Académie Française des Illusionnistes in Paris, which Teatro Olimpico calls the Oscar of magic.

Their record

The awards listed in the couple's biography include first prize in Close-Up and Parlour Magic at the Trofeo Sitta, Kalvin Award, in Bologna in 2011, third prize at Masters of Magic, the Italian magic championship, in Saint-Vincent in 2012, the Mandrake d'Or in 2013, the Merlin d'Or at the Festival Magic Méribel, in France, in 2013 and 2015, the final at the FISM World Championships in Rimini in 2015, third prize at the FISM European Championship of Magic in Blackpool in 2017, the final at the FISM World Championships in Busan in 2018, and first prize at the International Forum of Magicians in St. Petersburg in 2020. The theater presents them as European Comedy Magic champions.

Fool Us and television

In 2022 Disguido appeared on "Penn and Teller: Fool Us," the American show in which magicians try to fool the two famous Las Vegas illusionists. In Italy they have appeared on Italia's Got Talent in 2013, Oggi è un altro giorno in 2023, La volta buona and I Fatti Vostri in 2024, and L'ora solare on TV2000.

48 countries

According to the theater, their tours have reached 48 countries. International stops mentioned in their biography include the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the International Forum of Magicians in St. Petersburg, theaters in France, and theaters and television in Latvia.

Tickets and prices for Cinemagic

Tickets for Cinemagic at Teatro Olimpico cost from €24 to €43.50 plus presale fee, with an online fee of €1.50 per ticket. For under-12s, prices range from €16.80 to €26.60 plus presale fee.

Orchestra

Gold front orchestra €43.50 plus €6.50 presale fee, with no under-12 price. Side front orchestra €38 plus €5.70, under-12 €26.60 plus €4. Orchestra €32 plus €4.80, under-12 €22.40 plus €3.40.

Balcony

Balcony €32 plus €4.80, under-12 €22.40 plus €3.40. Balcony with railing €29 plus €4.40, under-12 €20.30 plus €3. Side balcony €27 plus €4.10, under-12 €18.90 plus €2.80. Side balcony with railing €24 plus €3.60, under-12 €16.80 plus €2.50.

What a family spends

The theater specifies that the presale fee is always charged when the ticket is issued. Two adults and two children under 12 in the orchestra, buying online, spend about €131, presale fees and online fees included. In the side balcony with railing, about €100.

Where to buy them

Tickets are sold on the official Teatro Olimpico website or at the box office in Piazza Gentile da Fabriano. For information, the theater gives the address biglietti@teatroolimpico.it.

A curious fact about Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

The best curious fact about Cinemagic concerns the hall that hosts it. Teatro Olimpico was born as a cinema: from 1936 it was called Cine-Teatro Olimpico, and until the 1950s, apart from the war years, it showed films. In the intervals between screenings, variety performers took the stage: comedians, singers, dancers and novelty acts.

Cinemagic, a magic show about the movies, takes the hall back to its origins, in reverse. Back then film was the main show and variety filled the intervals. Today magic takes center stage, and film becomes its subject. The magic lantern comparison the theater uses to describe the show rings even truer in a hall built to show films.

There's also a detail in Isabella R. Zanivan's biography worth remembering as you take your seat: her psychology thesis at Sapienza is titled "Trust in the Illusionist." Every Cinemagic spectator, sitting down, signs exactly that pact: they know they'll be fooled, and they choose to trust. Few illusionists have studied their relationship with the audience so thoroughly before stepping on stage.

Disguido and Teatro Olimpico: a story that repeats

Cinemagic returns to Teatro Olimpico after several seasons: Disguido's biography places their show about the movies, under the French title CinéMagique, in this hall between 2018 and 2024.

The first seasons

Sources cited in the duo's biography include a December 2018 article on the critical success of CinéMagique and a November 2022 article announcing the arrival at Olimpico, from November 16, of "Cinemagique, artisti dell'immaginazione." The same season Sky TG24 ran a report on CinéMagique at Olimpico with Disguido and Silvan.

A loyal audience

Returning several times to the same hall with the same title is a sign of mutual trust: the theater knows it will fill the hall, and the audience knows what it will find. If you've seen one of the earlier editions, you'll find a version now presented as Cinemagic, which the theater describes in its current form. If you've never seen it, here's your chance to catch up.

Magic at Olimpico

Olimpico readily hosts magic: in the same season the program also includes Raul Cremona with Bravissssssimo, one of the colleagues the Cinemagic page lists among Disguido's admirers. For more evenings of illusion in Rome, there's also Processo alla magia at Teatro Vittoria.

The history of Teatro Olimpico

Teatro Olimpico in Piazza Gentile da Fabriano was the Cine-Teatro Olimpico from 1936 and Teatro Olimpico from 1981. It faces Lungotevere Flaminio, opposite Ponte della Musica.

The 1930s

The block was built between 1935 and 1936 by the firm Garbarino, Sciaccaluga e Mezzacane for the Società Generale Immobiliare, in the same years as Foro Italico on the other bank of the Tiber.

The Filarmonica and 1980

After the war the Accademia Filarmonica Romana rented the theater. At the end of the 1970s the owner and the manager went bankrupt and the building was put up for sale. The Filarmonica's president, Adriana Panni, launched a subscription, and in 1980 Teatro Olimpico spa, a company of citizens, bought the building.

From 1981 to today

From 1981 the program opened to drama, dance and popular comedy. In the 2009/2010 season, according to the Agis rankings, Olimpico was the second theater in Rome and the seventh in Italy by number of spectators.

Something nobody tells you about Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

What almost nobody says about a magic show in a large theater is that the most expensive seat isn't always the best. At Olimpico, for Cinemagic, the question to ask is a different one: do I want to see the trick up close, or do I want to see the whole picture?

Cinemagic, as the theater describes it, is made of visual scenes, quick-change, dance and stage effects: a language designed for the distance of the stage, not for the conjurer's little table. In this kind of show the illusion is built to work from the whole hall, and it often works better from a few meters away, where the eye takes in the scene and doesn't fix on a detail. The central balcony, facing the stage and raised, costs €32 like an orchestra seat and offers exactly that overall view.

The front rows of the gold front orchestra have another advantage: closeness to two performers who work a lot on expression and physical comedy, and the chance, in a show that involves the audience, of being called on. It's a fair choice, but make it knowing what you're buying.

The second thing nobody says concerns children: there's no under-12 price for the gold front orchestra. If you're bringing kids and want to save, choose another section, where the reduced ticket costs about 30 percent less than the full one.

The Teatro Olimpico hall: where to sit

Teatro Olimpico has 1,410 seats, 966 in the orchestra and 444 in the gallery, with a sloping amphitheater orchestra: for a visual show like Cinemagic you can see well almost everywhere.

Orchestra

The rows rise steadily toward the back: people sitting behind see over the heads of those in front, a real advantage when there are children in the hall who need to see the stage.

Gallery and balcony

The gallery, which at the box office corresponds to the balcony, is horseshoe-shaped. The central balcony offers a front-on view, while the side sections and those with a railing cost less and see a bit less. For young children the railing can block part of the stage: the orchestra is better.

The foyer

The circular foyer and the corridors preserve historic stage sets created for the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. Arrive a quarter of an hour early: kids enjoy looking at them.

My tip for seeing Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

My tip is to choose the Sunday, April 11 performance at 15:00, get orchestra seats in the central rows and arrive at the theater after watching a Méliès or Chaplin film with the kids the night before.

Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for a family: you have lunch without rushing, get to the theater without hurrying, and come out before 17:00 with the rest of the day ahead of you. An orchestra seat at the under-12 price is the best balance of view, closeness and cost: kids see well thanks to the slope of the hall, and the cost stays reasonable.

About the film: Cinemagic is a tribute to the movies, and kids who have seen a few images of silent film recognize the references and have twice the fun. The theater, after all, describes Guido Marini in the words of a critic: a kind of Charlie Chaplin. Showing your kids a Chaplin short before the show is the simplest way to prepare their eyes.

One last tip, for the adults: don't spend the evening trying to figure out the tricks. Disguido put Penn and Teller to the test, so just enjoy the show.

How to get to Teatro Olimpico

Teatro Olimpico is reached by Metro A to Flaminio and tram 2 to Piazza Mancini terminus, from where you walk about 500 meters along Viale del Pinturicchio.

Metro A and tram 2

From Piazzale Flaminio, tram 2 takes you to Piazza Mancini, and from there Piazza Gentile da Fabriano is a few minutes on foot. With kids it's the simplest option.

Bus

The lines listed by the theater are 220, 232, 233, 280, 301, 446, 48, 910 and 911. The 910 leaves from Termini: get off at the Pannini stop and walk about 300 meters along Viale del Pinturicchio. Lines 200, 201 and 53 also reach Piazza Mancini. For Sunday performances, check holiday schedules on the transport company's route planner.

By car

From the center, take Viale del Muro Torto toward Piazzale Flaminio, then Via Luisa di Savoia and the Lungotevere to Lungotevere Flaminio. From the north, cross Ponte Duca d'Aosta from Foro Italico. Parking around the theater is hard on show nights, and even harder on weekends.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

It's well known that film and magic are close relatives. Much less often mentioned is that the couple bringing Cinemagic to Olimpico has built its whole career on that kinship, starting from one specific object: the hat.

Chapeaugraphy is the art of turning a felt hat into ever-changing shapes. Disguido renewed it with "Chapeau Cinema," the act created in 2010 and taken to the FISM World Championships of Magic in Rimini in 2015 and Busan in 2018, inventing new shapes, a bull, a telephone, a shark and a pencil sharpener, and linking them to the language of film. That experiment gave rise to the idea of a whole show devoted to the Seventh Art.

This ties into a second rarely mentioned fact: the duo was formed in Rome in 2005, and in Rome it has built a small network devoted to magic. Besides their shows, Disguido have organized the "Abracadabra" festival at Teatro Ghione for years, run a magic shop and teach courses. They're not artists passing through: they're among the promoters of stage magic in the city.

For the audience, the upshot is simple. If you go to see Cinemagic at Olimpico, you see two Roman artists playing at home, in a theater they know well, with a show born from an idea developed over more than 15 years. It's rare for a magic show to have such deep roots.

The right photo to take at Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

The right Cinemagic photo is taken on the way out, on Ponte della Musica opposite the theater, with the kids still open-mouthed and the Tiber behind them.

The bridge connects Flaminio with Foro Italico, and from the middle of the span you see the river, both banks and, turning around, the theater's rationalist facade with its travertine base. After the Sunday 15:00 performance, the April light is still full when you come out. After the evening ones, the Lungotevere lights reflect on the water.

The second photo is taken on arrival: the facade with the show poster. The official Cinemagic image released by Olimpico is the one you'll find on the theater's page, and kids enjoy spotting it.

Inside, during the show, no phones. In an illusion show a spectator's lit screen disturbs those watching and spoils the surprise, and an illusion filmed on a phone is never an illusion anyway. The best souvenir of Cinemagic is the one that stays in the kids' eyes.

Some important events that happened here in history

On March 4, 1965 Pierre Boulez conducted at Teatro Olimpico the Italian premiere of Igor Stravinsky's "Abraham and Isaac" and the European premiere of his "Elegy for J.F.K.": it's the most important date in the hall's musical history, tied to the Accademia Filarmonica Romana.

In the following years Olimpico hosted productions where art and music met: Stravinsky's "Histoire du soldat" from October 11 to 14, 1966, with a backdrop by Giacomo Manzù, Niccolò Castiglioni's "Tre misteri" in 1968, with a sculpture by Mirko, and Stravinsky's Mass in October 1975, with Corrado Cagli's gilded shapes. Those sets are still in the foyer.

1980 was the year of the corporate turning point, with the birth of Teatro Olimpico spa. From 1981 the hall changed name and purpose: in April 1982 Moses Pendleton's Momix made their debut, and they would become regular guests. In the 1990s Mikhail Baryshnikov and the Bolshoi Ballet came through.

For comic and visual theater, the date to remember is May 1996, when Gigi Proietti brought "A me gli occhi" to Olimpico. A title that, on reflection, seems written for an illusionist: and Disguido, who have turned illusion into theater, take up the invitation 30 years later.

Who has passed through Cinemagic by Disguido at Teatro Olimpico, April 7 to 11, 2027

Comedians like Gigi Proietti, Enrico Brignano, Vincenzo Salemme, Lillo e Greg and Max Giusti, musicians like Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Jessye Norman, Zubin Mehta and Lucio Dalla, and for dance Baryshnikov, Béjart, the Bolshoi and Momix have all crossed the Teatro Olimpico stage.

For magic the name to remember is Silvan, who according to the Sky TG24 report cited in Disguido's biography appeared at Olimpico with them in one of the CinéMagique seasons. The Cinemagic page lists him among the couple's admirers, together with Mago Forest and Raul Cremona.

Comedy is the most Roman part of the hall's history: alongside Proietti, Brignano and Salemme, the theater recalls Neri Marcorè, Ale e Franz, Gioele Dix, Cinzia Leone, Massimo Ranieri and Dario Fo. For song, Marillion in 1988, Lucio Dalla with "Henna" in 1994, Pooh the same year, Giorgio Gaber in 1998.

And then Disguido, who have come back to this hall several times between 2018 and 2024 and return in April 2027. For two artists who debuted in 2006 in a small Roman theater, the Flaiano, with a Tom Waits cover band, Olimpico and its 1,410 seats mark a long and consistent path.

Flaminio around the theater

Teatro Olimpico is in the Flaminio neighborhood, north of Piazza del Popolo, between the Auditorium, MAXXI and Ponte della Musica: a quiet neighborhood, good for a family day out.

The Tiber and Foro Italico

In front of the theater, Ponte della Musica leads to Foro Italico. Before an afternoon performance, kids can let off steam with a walk along the river.

Auditorium and MAXXI

Inside the neighborhood are Auditorium Parco della Musica and MAXXI, with the square in front of the museum where kids can run free. A morning at the museum and an afternoon at the theater make a full day.

Milvian Bridge

Going up the Tiber you reach Milvian Bridge, with its square full of bars and restaurants: the natural destination after the evening performances.

Where to eat before and after the show

Around Teatro Olimpico, between Piazza Mancini, Via Flaminia and Piazza Gentile da Fabriano, there are pizzerias, trattorias and neighborhood bars.

Before the show

For the 20:30 performances, dinner at 19:00 in the area is the most convenient option, and with kids an early pizza is the safest bet. For the Sunday matinees, an unhurried lunch in the neighborhood.

After the show

After the evening performances, Ponte Milvio has the widest choice. I don't name specific places, because they change more often than theater programs: the rule is to avoid places with tourist menus and pick the ones full of local families.

With kids, and accessibility

Cinemagic has reduced under-12 prices in every section except the gold front orchestra, and the theater presents it as a show that can speak to audiences of all ages.

With kids

In our view the show suits children from about five or six up. 100 minutes is long for the youngest, but the pace of the scenes, the transformations and the physical comedy keep attention high. The Sunday 15:00 and Saturday 16:30 performances are the most convenient. If you're looking for other family shows at Olimpico, the season also includes Slava's SnowShow.

Accessibility

If you have reduced mobility, contact the box office before buying, at biglietti@teatroolimpico.it, to find out about suitable seats and access arrangements. The orchestra slopes like an amphitheater, and the gallery is on the upper floor: it's best to mention your needs when booking.

Frequently asked questions about Cinemagic by Disguido

When is Cinemagic by Disguido on at Teatro Olimpico?

Cinemagic by Disguido is on at Teatro Olimpico in Rome from April 7 to 11, 2027: Wednesday the 7th, Thursday the 8th and Friday, April 9 at 20:30, Saturday, April 10 at 16:30 and 20:30, and Sunday, April 11 at 15:00 and 18:30.

How much are tickets for Cinemagic?

Tickets for Cinemagic at Teatro Olimpico cost from €24 in the side balcony with railing to €43.50 in the gold front orchestra, plus a presale fee of €3.60 to €6.50. Online there's an extra fee of €1.50 per ticket. For under-12s, prices range from €16.80 to €26.60 plus presale fee.

How long is the show?

Teatro Olimpico gives a running time of 100 minutes for Cinemagic by Disguido. A 20:30 performance ends around 22:10, and the Sunday 15:00 one just before 17:00, not counting any interval.

Is Cinemagic suitable for kids?

Cinemagic by Disguido is designed for audiences of all ages, and Teatro Olimpico offers under-12 prices in every section except the gold front orchestra. The matinees on Saturday, April 10 at 16:30 and Sunday, April 11 at 15:00 are the most convenient for families.

Who are Disguido?

Disguido are a Roman duo of illusionists formed in 2005 by Guido Marini, actor, director and set designer, and Isabella R. Zanivan, actress, dancer and psychologist. They won the Mandrake d'Or in Paris in 2013 and appeared on the American show Penn and Teller: Fool Us.

How do you get to Teatro Olimpico?

Teatro Olimpico, in Piazza Gentile da Fabriano 17 in the Flaminio neighborhood, is reached by Metro A to Flaminio and tram 2 to Piazza Mancini, or by bus 910 from Termini to the Pannini stop, about 300 meters from the theater.

Where do you buy tickets?

Tickets for Cinemagic are sold on the official Teatro Olimpico website, with an online fee of €1.50 per ticket, or at the theater box office in Piazza Gentile da Fabriano. The presale fee is always charged when the ticket is issued.

To sum up, my tip for parents: Sunday, April 11 at 15:00, orchestra seats, a Chaplin short the night before and no rush to figure out the tricks. On the way out, five minutes on Ponte della Musica. It's the afternoon at the theater the kids will remember.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

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