Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

Circo Paradiso, Agnese Fallongo's musical comedy with Agnese Fallongo and Tiziano Caputo, directed by Adriano Evangelisti and Raffaele Latagliata, is on stage at Teatro Nino Manfredi in Ostia from April 1 to 11, 2027, at Via dei Pallottini 10, in Ostia Lido. There are nine performances: Thursday the 1st, Friday the 2nd and Saturday, April 3 at 21:00, Sunday the 4th at 17:30, Thursday the 8th at 17:30, Friday the 9th at 21:00, Saturday the 10th at 17:30 and 21:00, and Sunday the 11th at 17:30. The show is by Teatro de Gli Incamminati and is part of the season subscription. The prices listed by the theater are €25 full price, €23 reduced, €12 for under-25s and €17 per person for groups of at least 15 people. Teatro Manfredi is reached by the Roma-Lido railway, which leaves from Porta San Paolo next to the Piramide stop on Metro B, getting off at Lido Centro station, a short distance from the theater. Tickets are sold on the official Teatro Nino Manfredi website, which links to the authorized presale network, or at the box office, by phone at 06 56324849.

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

Circo Paradiso tells of two former trapeze artists, Cesare and Attilina, who meet again after more than 30 years to receive the golden trapeze, the most coveted prize in the circus world. Below are the dates, the plot, the two performers and the creative team, the Ostia theater and tips for planning a day on the coast in early April.

Circo Paradiso at Teatro Nino Manfredi: dates, times and prices

Circo Paradiso runs at Teatro Nino Manfredi for nine performances spread over two weeks, from April 1 to 11, 2027, with evening shows at 21:00 and matinees at 17:30.

First week

Thursday the 1st, Friday the 2nd and Saturday, April 3 at 21:00. Sunday, April 4 at 17:30.

Second week

Thursday, April 8 at 17:30, Friday the 9th at 21:00, Saturday the 10th with two performances at 17:30 and 21:00, Sunday the 11th at 17:30.

Prices

Full price €25, reduced €23, under-25 €12. For group bookings, from 15 people, €17 each. The show is part of the Manfredi season subscription.

Credits

Text by Agnese Fallongo, directed by Adriano Evangelisti and Raffaele Latagliata, with Agnese Fallongo and Tiziano Caputo. According to the company's listing, music and lyrics are by Tiziano Caputo, sets by Andrea Coppi, costumes by Nicoletta Ceccolini and choreographic movement by Elisa Caramaschi. Photos are by Tommaso La Pera.

The plot of Circo Paradiso: the two fireflies of the circus

Cesare and Attilina are two retired trapeze artists, once partners in life and on stage, called to perform at a gala evening to receive the golden trapeze. They haven't seen each other for more than 30 years, since the day fate split them apart.

The flashbacks

Through a series of flashbacks, the two fireflies of the circus, as they were called at the height of their fame, tell their story to the audience: their first meeting as children, their childhood love, the peak of their career as adults, which through a twist coincides with their very separation.

What the prize holds

The question running through the show is what that prize will really bring: a reconciliation, a farewell, one last performance. The presentation leaves the ending open, as it should.

A whole circus with two people

The two leads aren't alone in the ring: around them, inside and outside the big top, revolve Dimitri the knife thrower, Fortuna the fortune-teller, Betta the lion tamer, Mariuccio bello bello and the clown. Only two performers are on the bill, and according to critics they switch between acting, singing, dancing and storytelling.

A tragicomic musical comedy

The theater calls Circo Paradiso a tragicomic musical comedy that makes the circus a metaphor for an art that today looks like an extraordinary sunset.

Sky and earth

The show is about the thin line between sky and earth, stage and everyday life, reality and fantasy: the trapeze, hanging in the void, is the perfect image of this condition.

A hymn to live performance

The presentation closes with a tribute to all the circus artists who, like theater people, write on water and in the audience's affectionate memory. It's a declaration of love for every form of performance that exists only in the moment it happens.

The artist's old age

The technical sheet circulated by some theaters that have hosted the show adds that Circo Paradiso deals with irony and poetry with the theme of old age and the artist's mortality, for whom the body is the very instrument of art.

The authors' notes: sentimental intelligence

In the notes published by Teatro de Gli Incamminati, the authors explain that, in an age of technology that pervades even creativity, they feel the need to protect a form of intelligence that is essentially human, which they call sentimental intelligence.

Handcrafted creation

In their work this intelligence is matched with handcrafted creation, supported by the artist's ancient know-how, in every detail. The sets, the costumes and the songs written specially for the show should be read in this light.

Going back

The authors write that the story comes from a genuine creative urge, which answers only to the rules of the heart, and quote a line that sums up the spirit of the show: the future isn't always ahead, sometimes you have to stop and go back to reach it.

Agnese Fallongo, author and performer

Agnese Fallongo wrote Circo Paradiso and performs it with Tiziano Caputo: in the show she is Attilina, and through her many of the characters who populate the circus come to life.

An artistic partnership

Fallongo and Caputo have worked as a pair across several shows. The GBopera review of the November 2025 Rome production mentions their previous work, Fino alle stelle, and highlights the versatility with which they switch between acting, singing, dancing and storytelling in a single evening.

Writing for herself

Writing a text to perform yourself means building the characters on your own abilities as an actress: in the case of Circo Paradiso, a gallery of very different figures, from the trapeze artist to the fortune-teller to the lion tamer, requiring changes of voice, posture and rhythm.

Tiziano Caputo, music and lyrics

Tiziano Caputo is on stage alongside Agnese Fallongo as Cesare and wrote the show's music and lyrics, according to the company's credits.

Actor and musician

In a musical comedy where only two performers bring a whole circus to life, the double role of actor and composer is crucial: the songs are tailored to the characters and to the voice of the person singing them.

The music of the circus

The circus has always had its own music, and a comedy about two trapeze artists can't do without it: in Circo Paradiso Caputo's original songs take the place of the little band under the big top.

Adriano Evangelisti, Raffaele Latagliata and the company

Circo Paradiso is co-directed by Adriano Evangelisti and Raffaele Latagliata. The production, according to the company, is by Teatro de Gli Incamminati and Teatro Metastasio in Prato.

Teatro de Gli Incamminati

Teatro de Gli Incamminati is the company Teatro Nino Manfredi lists as the show's producer. In its listing, Circo Paradiso appears with Teatro Metastasio in Prato as coproducer.

The team

Andrea Coppi's sets recreate the big top, Nicoletta Ceccolini's costumes dress the many characters, and Elisa Caramaschi's choreographic movement gives body to the world of the trapeze. Technical direction is by Valerio Di Tella.

Already applauded in Rome

The show has already been staged in Rome at Teatro Manzoni, in November 2025, and in the Teatri in Comune network in January 2026. Its return to Ostia in spring 2027 confirms its staying power.

Teatro Nino Manfredi in Ostia Lido

Teatro Nino Manfredi, at Via dei Pallottini 10 in Ostia Lido, is a 288-seat drama theater created from a former cinema-theater, taken over in December 2004 by Felice Della Corte and four partners and opened on September 30, 2005.

An actor's name

The hall is named after Nino Manfredi, who died on June 4, 2004. His widow, Erminia Ferrari, was present on opening night: the theater was born with the family's blessing.

What's on

The program includes a subscription drama season, shows for children and young people, school matinees and a theater school. Comedy, with a touch of melancholy, is right at home here.

The right size

With 288 seats, the Manfredi is a mid-sized, intimate hall: for a show where only two actors bring a whole circus to life, the audience's closeness is an advantage.

How to get to Teatro Nino Manfredi for Circo Paradiso

The simplest way to reach Teatro Nino Manfredi from Rome is the Roma-Lido railway, getting off at Lido Centro station, a short distance from Via dei Pallottini 10.

Roma-Lido railway

The train leaves from Porta San Paolo station, next to the Piramide stop on Metro B: from Termini you take the metro to Piramide, change and get off at Lido Centro. If you're going to a 21:00 performance, check the time of the last train back to Rome beforehand.

By car

From Rome you reach Ostia via Via del Mare or Via Cristoforo Colombo. In early April the coast isn't crowded yet and parking is usually easier than in summer.

By bus

Ostia's local bus lines connect the Roma-Lido stations with the coastal neighborhoods. For up-to-date routes and times, use the ATAC route planner.

A curious fact about Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

The loveliest curious fact about Circo Paradiso is hidden in the leads' nickname: the fireflies of the circus. In Teatro de Gli Incamminati's presentation the company writes, with a touch of melancholy, that fireflies are ever rarer and that there's no more room for them in an age dominated by on-demand TV series. It's an image the authors use to talk about an art, the circus, that today looks like an extraordinary sunset. The second curious fact concerns the number of performers. The circus of Circo Paradiso is populated by Dimitri the knife thrower, Fortuna the fortune-teller, Betta the lion tamer, Mariuccio bello bello and the clown, as well as Cesare and Attilina: yet only two actors are on stage, Agnese Fallongo and Tiziano Caputo. Quick-change, one of the classic acts of variety and the circus, thus becomes the very structure of the show. The third curious fact has to do with the theater hosting it. Nino Manfredi, after whom the Ostia hall is named, was an actor able to move from laughter to melancholy in the same scene, and the theater's program says it draws on his example as a dramatic actor who performed with irony. A tragicomic musical comedy about two artists in their twilight is perfectly in tune with this idea. Finally, a calendar coincidence: the show opens on April 1, April Fools' Day, with two clowns of life meeting again after 30 years.

Something nobody tells you about Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

What the posters don't say is that Circo Paradiso is not a circus show for children, even if the title and the image might suggest it. It's a musical comedy for adults about old age, lost love, the aging body and the artist who can no longer do what they used to: the show's description speaks explicitly of the artist's mortality, for whom art can't be separated from the body, a living instrument made of flesh, bone and soul. Kids can enjoy it, especially older ones, but the heart of the show speaks to people with a few years behind them who know what it means to find someone again after 30 years. The second thing nobody says is that the show already has a Roman audience: it was staged at Teatro Manzoni in November 2025 and then in the Teatri in Comune network in early 2026. If you missed it, here's a new chance in Ostia, and if you saw it you can see it again in a different hall, closer to the sea. The third detail concerns the schedule: the first week has three evening shows in a row, Thursday the 1st, Friday the 2nd and Saturday, April 3, followed by the Sunday the 4th matinee, while the second week has a matinee on Thursday, April 8 and two performances on Saturday the 10th. If you're buying a ticket for a Thursday, check the time, which differs from one week to the next.

My tip for seeing Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

My tip is to choose a matinee and turn the show into a spring day by the sea. In early April Ostia starts to wake up: the seafront is pleasant on sunny days, the seafood restaurants are open and the beach clubs are getting ready for the season. With the 17:30 performances on Sunday the 4th, Thursday the 8th, Saturday the 10th and Sunday, April 11, you arrive in the late morning, have lunch on the coast, take a walk and then go into the theater. If you have more time, add the ruins of Ostia Antica, just one train stop away. The second tip is about who to go with. Circo Paradiso is a show about couples, the passing of time and reunions: it's an ideal evening for a long-standing couple, or for taking your parents or grandparents to the theater, who will recognize something familiar in the two retired trapeze artists. The third tip is to let yourself go with the music: Tiziano Caputo's songs are an integral part of the story, and part of the fun is watching two actors turn into a whole circus. Finally, if you're heading back to Rome after a 21:00 performance, check the last Roma-Lido train beforehand or plan to drive.

Ostia Lido around the theater

Teatro Nino Manfredi is in Ostia Lido, in Municipio X, the Rome neighborhood that faces the sea. In early April the coast is getting ready for the warm season.

The ruins of Ostia Antica

One train stop away are the ruins of Ostia Antica, the port of ancient Rome, and the village of Ostia Antica with the castle of Julius II.

Pinewood and coast

To the south, the Castel Fusano pinewood offers shade and trails, and beyond it stretch the beaches of the Roman coast, as far as the Capocotta oasis.

The seafront in spring

In April a walk along the seafront is one of Ostia's pleasures: before a matinee, in the afternoon light, it's the best way to arrive at the theater.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

It's well known that Nino Manfredi was one of the faces of commedia all'italiana, and that the general public discovered him as the barman from Ceccano on Canzonissima in 1959. Less often remembered is how closely his career was tied to musical theater and popular entertainment, the very worlds Circo Paradiso celebrates. In 1958 Manfredi was in the cast of Un trapezio per Lisistrata, a show that already had the trapeze in its title, the same apparatus as Fallongo and Caputo's two leads. In 1962 he was the first Rugantino, in the Roman musical comedy that paired him with Aldo Fabrizi and Bice Valori and went as far as the United States. Before that, he had studied seriously: a law degree in 1945, a diploma from the Accademia d'Arte Drammatica in 1947, years at the Piccolo in Milan with Strehler and with Eduardo De Filippo at the Eliseo. The Ostia theater that bears his name says it draws on his idea of a dramatic actor who performs with irony: a formula that suits a tragicomic comedy about two artists in their twilight. A second rarely mentioned fact concerns the hall: the Manfredi wasn't born as a theater but as a cinema-theater, taken over in poor condition in 2004 and turned into a 288-seat drama venue. A small miracle of theatrical craftsmanship, just like the one the authors of Circo Paradiso claim for their work.

The right photo to take at Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

In the hall the phone stays off: a show built on quick-change and live music loses its magic if you watch it through a screen. Take the photo outside, and Ostia in early April has the right light. The first is the sea: before a matinee, a photo from the seafront with the beach still almost empty and the spring sky has something suspended about it, like the trapeze in the show. The second is the Circo Paradiso poster at the theater entrance on Via dei Pallottini, with Nino Manfredi's name on the sign: a photo that brings together two worlds, the circus and commedia all'italiana. The third is for the more creative: a photo that plays with the firefly theme, that is, with light. Coming out of the 21:00 performance, the lights of the seaside town, the seafront streetlamps and the shop signs can become a small tribute to the two fireflies of the circus. If you go to the theater with your parents or your partner of many years, you can take the simplest and most fitting photo: a picture together, like the one Cesare and Attilina would have wanted to take 30 years earlier. The show's official poster, after all, is an image worth keeping: it's the one the theater publishes on the show page.

How to plan a day in Ostia with Circo Paradiso

With the 17:30 matinees on Sunday the 4th, Thursday the 8th, Saturday the 10th and Sunday, April 11, Circo Paradiso lends itself to being the finale of a whole day out of town, without leaving the city of Rome.

Morning at Ostia Antica

If you come on the Roma-Lido line you can get off at the Ostia Antica stop and spend the morning at the ruins and the village, with the castle of Julius II. Then get back on the train and in a few minutes you're at Lido Centro.

Lunch and the seafront

In Ostia Lido you have lunch on the coast and stroll along the seafront. In early April the days are already long and the afternoon light lasts until showtime.

Theater and the trip back

At 17:30 you go into the hall, and when you come out there's still time for an aperitivo or dinner before taking the train back to Porta San Paolo. It's a day that combines archaeology, sea and theater without needing a car: the same railway line connects Porta San Paolo, the ruins and the seafront, and lets you get back to the city without worrying about parking. If you're traveling with elderly parents, plan long breaks and choose the Sunday, when the seaside town moves at a slower pace.

Where to eat in Ostia before or after Circo Paradiso

Between Teatro Nino Manfredi and the seafront there are seafood restaurants, pizzerias and bars open year-round.

Lunch before the matinee

A seafood lunch on the coast and then the theater at 17:30: the most classic Ostia formula, perfect for Sundays the 4th and 11th and for Saturday the 10th.

Dinner after the evening show

After the 21:00 performances, head for pizzerias and places in the central area, keeping an eye on the train times if you're going back to Rome.

The weekend

In spring the seafront places fill up on weekends: book for Saturday night and Sunday lunch.

Some important events that happened here in history

Teatro Nino Manfredi was born in December 2004, when Felice Della Corte, a Neapolitan trained in Eduardo's theater, and four partners, Luciano, Enzo, Paolo and Salvatore, took over a run-down former cinema-theater in Ostia Lido and decided to turn it into a 288-seat drama theater. A few months earlier, on June 4, 2004, Nino Manfredi had died, born in Castro dei Volsci in 1921 and raised in Rome's San Giovanni district: the theater took his name. On September 30, 2005 the hall opened with Josiane Balasko's Un grande grido d'amore, performed by Pamela Villoresi and Pietro Longhi, in front of Erminia Ferrari, the actor's widow. The program draws on Manfredi's example as a dramatic actor who performed with irony. Over the years the theater became a landmark on the coast, with subscription seasons, shows for children and young people, school matinees and a theater school. In October 2015 the same experience gave rise to Teatro Marconi, in Rome, and in 2019 Della Corte became president of the Unione dei Teatri di Roma, the association of private theaters he co-founded. The 2024-2025 season opened with Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, directed by Claudio Boccaccini. In the 2026-2027 season, after Ruccello's Ferdinando in January and Uno scherzo del genere in March, Circo Paradiso arrives in April.

Accessibility, age and practical information

For access for people with disabilities, contact the Teatro Nino Manfredi box office before buying, at 06 56324849 or 388 0736402.

With young people

Circo Paradiso is a musical comedy suited to adults and young people, who can enjoy the circus characters and the songs, while the themes of old age and separation speak mostly to adults. The under-25 price makes a family outing easier.

Arriving on time

Ostia Lido is flat and the walk from Lido Centro station to the theater is short. By car you can be dropped off in front of the entrance at Via dei Pallottini 10.

April in Rome

April is one of the loveliest months for Rome and its coast: long days, mild temperatures, the sea starting to draw Romans back.

Who has passed through Circo Paradiso by Agnese Fallongo at Teatro Nino Manfredi, April 1 to 11, 2027

Since its opening night on September 30, 2005, the Teatro Nino Manfredi stage has welcomed actors like Pamela Villoresi and Pietro Longhi, the leads of Un grande grido d'amore. Since then actors, directors and companies of Italian drama have passed through: among recent guests, the local press has mentioned Nathalie Caldonazzo in a comedy directed by Claudio Boccaccini alongside Felice Della Corte, and Della Corte's own productions such as La cena di Vermeer. Claudio Boccaccini, Silvia Brogi, Paolo Perinelli and Riccardo Barbera are the fellow travelers the director considers essential. In October 2026 the Compagnia Mauri Sturno came with Amore non eri prevista. And there's someone who has passed through only in name: Nino Manfredi, the barman from Ceccano, the first Rugantino, the star of Un trapezio per Lisistrata. From April 1 to 11, 2027 come Agnese Fallongo and Tiziano Caputo, with directors Adriano Evangelisti and Raffaele Latagliata and the Teatro de Gli Incamminati company, and with them, ideally, Cesare and Attilina, Dimitri the knife thrower, Fortuna the fortune-teller, Betta the lion tamer, Mariuccio bello bello and the clown, and all the circus artists who, like theater people, write on water.

Frequently asked questions about Circo Paradiso at Teatro Nino Manfredi

When is Circo Paradiso on in Ostia?

Circo Paradiso is on at Teatro Nino Manfredi in Ostia from April 1 to 11, 2027: Thursday the 1st, Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd at 21:00, Sunday the 4th at 17:30, Thursday the 8th at 17:30, Friday the 9th at 21:00, Saturday the 10th at 17:30 and 21:00, and Sunday the 11th at 17:30.

How much are tickets for Circo Paradiso?

Tickets for Circo Paradiso at Teatro Nino Manfredi cost €25 full price, €23 reduced and €12 for under-25s, and groups of at least 15 people pay €17 each. They're sold on the theater's website or at the box office.

Who is on stage in Circo Paradiso?

Circo Paradiso stars Agnese Fallongo, who wrote the text, and Tiziano Caputo, who wrote the music and lyrics, playing the two trapeze artists and all the other circus characters. It's directed by Adriano Evangelisti and Raffaele Latagliata.

What is Circo Paradiso about?

Circo Paradiso tells the story of Cesare and Attilina, two retired trapeze artists called to receive the golden trapeze at a gala evening: they haven't seen each other in 30 years and, through flashbacks, they relive their love and the career that split them apart.

Is Circo Paradiso suitable for kids?

Circo Paradiso is a musical comedy for adults that young people can enjoy too, thanks to the songs and the circus characters. The themes of old age, time and separation, though, make it more powerful for an adult audience.

Where is Teatro Nino Manfredi?

Teatro Nino Manfredi is at Via dei Pallottini 10, in Ostia Lido. You get there on the Roma-Lido railway from Porta San Paolo, next to the Piramide stop on Metro B, getting off at Lido Centro station, a short distance from the theater.

Has Circo Paradiso already been staged in Rome?

Circo Paradiso has already been staged in Rome at Teatro Manzoni in November 2025 and in the Teatri in Comune network in early 2026. It arrives at Teatro Nino Manfredi in Ostia in April 2027 as part of the subscription season.

My final tip on Circo Paradiso

In our view Circo Paradiso is the right show for a spring day in Ostia: a musical comedy written and played by two artists who turn themselves into a whole circus, a love story spanning 30 years and a theater named after an actor who could make you laugh and cry in the same line. My advice is to choose a matinee, arrive in time for lunch and a walk by the sea, bring someone you share a long story with and follow the two fireflies to their last flight.

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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