Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

Figli maschi, the comedy written and performed by Centouno, that is Luca Latino, Flavio Moscatelli and Ezio Passacantilli, with Francesca Anna Bellucci and Lara Balbo and directed by Leonardo Buttaroni, is on at Teatro Sala Umberto, Via della Mercede 50 (00187 Rome), from February 16 to 28, 2027, for 12 performances: the evening shows at 20:30, one performance at 19:30 on Wednesday the 24th and the Saturday and Sunday matinees at 16:00, with Monday the 22nd off. The production is by Lea Production. The prices published by the theater are €34 for the poltronissima, €28 for the poltrona A and €22 for the poltrona B. Sala Umberto is in the Colonna district, between the Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna, about a 10-minute walk from the Spagna and Barberini stops on Metro Line A. Tickets are sold on the official Sala Umberto website, from the show page, or at the theater box office.

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

Figli maschi at Sala Umberto: dates, times and prices

Figli maschi is on at Sala Umberto from February 16 to 28, 2027, for two weeks with 12 performances and a single day off, Monday, February 22.

The first week

Tuesday the 16th, Wednesday the 17th, Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th at 20:30, Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st at 16:00. This is the schedule the theater publishes on the show page.

The second week

Tuesday the 23rd at 20:30, Wednesday the 24th at 19:30, Thursday the 25th and Friday the 26th at 20:30, Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th at 16:00. Note that there are no evening shows on the weekend, only matinees.

Prices

Sala Umberto publishes three price tiers: poltronissima at €34, poltrona A at €28, poltrona B at €22. The theater accepts the Carta del Docente teacher bonus.

Where to buy

Tickets are bought with the Buy button on the show page of the Sala Umberto website, which links to the theater's online ticket office, or at the box office on Via della Mercede. For information the theater gives the number 06 6794753.

Figli maschi: the plot of the comedy

Figli maschi is a comedy about three brothers, sons of a single mother, who organize a surprise party for their mother's 70th birthday on a condominium terrace and find themselves waiting for her longer than expected.

Wishes and sons

The title plays on an old wish, happily out of use by now, that everyone has heard at least once, maybe in a black-and-white movie or an old novel. In the past a son was a guarantee of stability, strong arms and steady nerves. The comedy starts from here to show how much times have changed.

The party on the terrace

Luca, Flavio and Ezio have decorated the terrace and set the table, which they carried up with effort from the floors below. Their mother, an unconventional and often elusive woman, is late. Time passes, the three have a drink and begin to talk about their own lives. Between emotional blocks and psychosomatic disorders, they turn out to be less settled than they seemed.

The unexpected neighbors

The condominium, by definition, is the place of unexpected and often unwelcome encounters. Within a short time the three brothers are drawn into the lives, even less settled, of two more or less casual visitors to the terrace. Among revelations, plot twists and quick jokes, they will have to face three lives as entrenched as they are unstable.

The final question

The presentation closes with a question: will the three manage to live up to their desire for change, or will they bring down the old belief that sons are a stroke of luck? The answer, says the theater, is in the show.

Who Centouno are

Centouno are a comedy trio made up of Luca Latino, Flavio Moscatelli and Ezio Passacantilli, who have been writing and performing their own comedies since 2013.

The beginnings

According to the trio's presentation circulated by the ticketing circuit, the three worked together on stage for a long time as performers in shows written and directed by Marco Falaguasta, before founding an independent group in 2013 under the name Centouno.

The style

The comedy of Centouno, according to a review of their previous show, rests on spontaneity and naturalness: three friends on stage bringing recognizable dynamics to the stage, with tight rhythms and situational comedy. In both Ci pensiamo domani and Figli maschi the characters carry the real names of the actors, Luca, Flavio and Ezio, and this strengthens the sense of complicity with the audience.

Ci pensiamo domani

The trio's previous show, Ci pensiamo domani, also directed by Leonardo Buttaroni and with Francesca Anna Bellucci as a modern innkeeper, tells of a weekend in the mountains for Luca's birthday that turns into a surreal adventure. In the 2026/2027 season it is on tour in other Italian cities, including Turin, Bologna and Florence.

The same team

With Figli maschi Centouno confirm the team: the direction is again by Leonardo Buttaroni, and Francesca Anna Bellucci returns on stage, this time joined by Lara Balbo. The production is by Lea Production.

Leonardo Buttaroni, the director

Leonardo Buttaroni directs Figli maschi after Ci pensiamo domani: he is the director the trio has worked with on the most shows.

Directing three author-actors

Directing three performers who are also the authors of the text means working on material born from their personalities. Direction, in comedies of this kind, works mostly on rhythm, comic timing and stage space.

The terrace as a stage

Figli maschi has a single setting, the condominium terrace: a place that is closed and open at once, where you can enter from several sides and where anyone can show up. It is the ideal space for a comedy of misunderstandings and unexpected arrivals.

A curiosity about Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

The funniest curiosity is about the mother. The whole comedy revolves around a woman who does not arrive: the party is for her, her sons wait for her, talk about her, and deal with the emotional legacy of an unconventional and elusive parent. The presentation does not say if or when she will appear. In our view this is the most effective construction of the text: the most important character is the one who is missing, and every ring of the doorbell becomes a possible entrance.

The second curiosity is in the names. The three brothers are called Luca, Flavio and Ezio, like the actors who play them and who wrote the text. It is not an autobiography, but it is a way of making the line between character and performer porous: audiences who know Centouno find their personalities on stage, and those who don't get the impression of watching a real family party.

Third curiosity: the title turns upside down a wish that the presentation itself calls happily outdated. It is a subtle irony: three adult sons, with their blocks and their fragilities, are the living denial of the idea that sons are strong arms and steady nerves for the family.

Sala Umberto, the theater on Via della Mercede

Teatro Sala Umberto has 485 seats in a rectangular hall with a sloping stalls area and a balcony. Born in 1882 on the ground floor of a building on Via della Mercede, it has had Alessandro Longobardi as artistic director since 2002.

The 1800s

The hall was commissioned by Andrea Busiri Vici and decorated inside by Alessandro Bazzani. It hosted concerts, operettas and comedies. In 1890 the architect Giulio Podesti enlarged it to 650 seats, and perhaps in that period it was known as Sala della Piccola Borsa. In 1913 it became a movie theater.

The Marino brothers' variety shows

In 1928 the Marino brothers, already owners of Salone Margherita, brought it back to the stage with variety shows, comedians, chanteuses and vedettes, and gave it the name of the king: Sala Umberto. Around 1930 cinema returned.

Drama

In 1981 the hall reopened as a theater with the Ente teatrale italiano. In 1991 it went back to cinema, and since 2002 it has been steadily a theater, with drama, comedy, music and a program for young audiences. The compact size is an advantage for a comedy of words and rhythm like Figli maschi: from the balcony as from the stalls the jokes arrive without effort.

Something nobody tells you about Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

What nobody says is that on the weekend Figli maschi has no evening shows. On Saturday the 20th and 27th and Sunday the 21st and 28th the show starts at 16:00: if you plan to go on a Saturday night, as people usually do for a comedy, you will find the theater already closed. For a real evening out you have to pick a weekday, Tuesday to Friday, at 20:30, or Wednesday the 24th at 19:30.

The second thing is about prices. The difference between the poltronissima at €34 and the poltrona B at €22 is €12, and in a hall of 485 seats with a sloping stalls area visibility is good almost everywhere. In our view, for a comedy built on words more than on scenery, the poltrona A is the best compromise between price and closeness to the stage.

Third thing: Sala Umberto accepts the Carta del Docente teacher bonus. For a teacher who wants to bring the family to the theater, it is a way to use the bonus on a light comedy instead of only on the classics.

How to get to Sala Umberto

Sala Umberto, at Via della Mercede 50, is inside the limited traffic zone of the historic center: you get there by Metro Line A, getting off at Spagna or Barberini and continuing on foot for about 10 minutes.

From Spagna or Barberini

From Spagna you cross the square and take Via di Propaganda toward Sant'Andrea delle Fratte. From Barberini you walk down Via del Tritone and bear right toward Via della Mercede. The routes are flat or slightly downhill.

By bus

Many surface lines run along Via del Tritone and Via del Corso. For the exact route, the Atac route planner is best, since it takes the detours in the center into account.

By car and taxi

Leave the car outside the ZTL. After the evening shows a taxi is the most convenient solution. Piazza San Silvestro, a few steps from the theater, is an easy spot to name.

After the show

After the evening shows Metro Line A is still running, but the last train should be checked on the Atac website, especially on weekdays. After the weekend matinees the problem doesn't arise: you leave while transport is in full service.

The advice I give you for seeing Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

My advice is to go with a brother, a sister or with your own mother. Figli maschi tells of an afternoon of waiting among three brothers, with their grudges, their fragilities and an overbearing parent: it is the kind of comedy that gets the most laughs when there is someone in the audience you can recognize yourself in. In our view it is also a good gift for a mother who has raised sons and knows what it is about.

The second piece of advice is about the time. The weekend matinees, at 16:00, are perfect for a family: you come out around 18:00, with time for a walk to the Trevi Fountain or Piazza di Spagna before dinner. For an evening with friends, a weekday at 20:30 is better, when the center is quieter and the restaurants have free tables even without a reservation.

Third piece of advice: arrive a few minutes early. The streets around Via della Mercede are among the busiest in the center, and on February weekends the crowd between Trevi and Piazza di Spagna slows your pace more than expected.

Another well-known fact, yet rarely mentioned

It is well known that Sala Umberto is a theater in the center of Rome. It is less often remembered that for more than half of its history it was a movie theater. Born in 1882 as a hall for concerts and operettas, it was turned into a cinema in 1913. After the brief season of variety shows with the Marino brothers, from 1928 to about 1930, it went back to cinema for half a century, and again in 1991, after 10 years of drama, it resumed showing films. Only since 2002 has it been steadily a theater.

A second rarely cited fact is about the name. The hall has not always been called Sala Umberto: it was named after the king only in 1928, when the Marino brothers brought it back to the stage. Before that, around 1890, it was perhaps known as Sala della Piccola Borsa.

Finally, a fact about variety. The Marino brothers who took over the hall in 1928 were already the owners of Salone Margherita, a variety venue. They brought to Via della Mercede the same world of comedians, chanteuses and vedettes. A brilliant comedy like Figli maschi, almost a century later, brings laughter back to that stage as the main reason for the evening.

Around Sala Umberto: the Colonna district

Via della Mercede is in the Colonna district, between the Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna, a stone's throw from Via del Corso.

The nearby churches

A few meters away is Piazza San Silvestro, with San Silvestro in Capite. A little higher up, on Via di Capo le Case, is Sant'Andrea delle Fratte, with the dome and bell tower by Borromini and the angels by Bernini.

Piazza Colonna and the Galleria

Along Via del Corso you reach Piazza Colonna, with the column of Marcus Aurelius, and Galleria Alberto Sordi, useful on rainy days before a matinee.

Piazza di Spagna

Going up Via di Propaganda you reach Piazza di Spagna in a few minutes, and the staircase of Trinità dei Monti. After a matinee, at dusk, it is the most natural walk: from the theater to the staircase, then down Via del Corso to Piazza Colonna, a half-hour loop that crosses the district.

Teatro Quirino

A 10-minute walk away is Teatro Quirino, which in the same weeks hosts the first stage adaptation of Commissario Montalbano: if you are staying in Rome a few days, you can put together a small theater week without taking any transport.

The right photo to take at Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

The right photo is taken at the entrance on Via della Mercede, with the Sala Umberto sign and the Figli maschi poster. The hall is set into the ground floor of a 19th-century building, as it was in 1882: a shot from the opposite sidewalk captures this particular feature well, a theater that has no facade of its own but lives inside a city building.

No photos in the hall during the show, out of respect for the actors and the audience. In a comedy built on precise comic timing, a lit screen in the stalls distracts the people around you right at the moment of the joke.

The second photo is taken after a matinee, around 18:00: on foot you reach in a few minutes the staircase of Trinità dei Monti or the Trevi Fountain, at the hour when the lights come on. With three brothers or a mother being celebrated, it is the family photo that closes the day well.

Some important events that happened here in history

Sala Umberto was born in 1882, on the ground floor of a building on Via della Mercede, at the wish of Andrea Busiri Vici, with interiors decorated by Alessandro Bazzani: concerts, operettas, comedies. In 1890 the architect Giulio Podesti enlarges it to 650 seats, and perhaps in that period it is known as Sala della Piccola Borsa. In 1913 cinema conquers it, as it conquers the halls of all Italian cities.

In 1928 the Marino brothers, owners of Salone Margherita, bring it back to the stage with variety shows, and name it after the king: Sala Umberto. For a couple of years comedians, chanteuses and vedettes perform there. Around 1930 cinema returns, and it will stay for half a century.

In 1981 the hall reopens as a theater after a renovation, under the direction of the Ente teatrale italiano and with a drama program. In 1991 it goes back to cinema. Since 2002, with Alessandro Longobardi as artistic director, it has been steadily a theater, with drama, comedy, music, theater for young audiences and new playwriting. Figli maschi, a new comedy written by its own performers, fits this vocation.

Who has passed through Figli maschi by Centouno at Teatro Sala Umberto, February 16 to 28, 2027

Through Sala Umberto passed, between the two wars, the variety artists hired by the Marino brothers: comedians, chanteuses, vedettes, the same world that animated Salone Margherita. The sources do not preserve a reliable list of names, but the picture is of a Rome that went to Via della Mercede in the evening to laugh and listen to songs.

Since 2002 the hall has hosted mostly drama, comedy and music. In the 2026/2027 season, on its stage pass, among others, Francesco De Gregori with the long series of his autumn concerts from the end of October to mid-November, Francesco Montanari with Storia di un cinghiale and Giulio Corso and Federica De Benedittis with Cime tempestose.

From February 16 to 28, 2027 Luca Latino, Flavio Moscatelli, Ezio Passacantilli, Francesca Anna Bellucci and Lara Balbo pass through Via della Mercede, with Leonardo Buttaroni directing. And, through the text, three brothers waiting, two unexpected neighbors and a mother who never arrives.

How to choose your seat at Sala Umberto for Figli maschi

Sala Umberto has 485 seats divided between a sloping stalls area and a balcony, with three price tiers for Figli maschi: poltronissima at €34, poltrona A at €28, poltrona B at €22.

The poltronissima

The poltronissime are the seats closest to the stage. In a family comedy built on looks, pauses and reactions, sitting in front lets you catch the expressions of the three brothers and the two neighbors. It is the right choice for those who rarely go to the theater and want to enjoy every detail.

The poltrona A

The poltrona A is the middle tier. In our view it is the best balance of price and visibility, especially in a hall with a sloping stalls area, where those seated farther back can still see over the heads of the rows in front.

The poltrona B

The poltrona B, at €22, is the choice for those who want to spend less or who bring kids. In a hall of this size the jokes carry well even from the last rows: a comedy of words doesn't require, as a musical does, seeing every movement up close.

Booking ahead

The weekend matinees, which for Figli maschi are the only Saturday and Sunday performances, are usually the most requested by families. If you are aiming for those dates, you'd do well to buy ahead.

Planning your day: matinee or evening

Figli maschi offers two very different kinds of outing: the weekday evening shows at 20:30, with the Wednesday the 24th performance moved up to 19:30, and the Saturday and Sunday matinees at 16:00.

The weekend matinee

With a 16:00 start you can have a relaxed lunch in the center, arrive at Via della Mercede around 15:45 and come out around 18:00. The rest of the evening stays free for a walk among Trevi, Via del Corso and Piazza di Spagna and for an unhurried dinner.

The weekday evening show

With a 20:30 start it makes sense to have an aperitivo or a light dinner beforehand, in the streets between Via della Mercede and Via del Tritone, and a post-theater drink on the way out. The center, on weekday evenings in February, is quieter than on the weekend.

Wednesday the 24th at 19:30

It is the only performance with an in-between time: you come out in time for a proper dinner, and those who come from outside Rome can get back without getting home late. For people who work, it is the most convenient date of the second week.

Figli maschi and the family comedy

Figli maschi fits into a strand much loved by audiences: the family comedy, in which an anniversary, a party or a lunch becomes the occasion for tensions left under the surface to explode.

The anniversary as detonator

The mother's 70th birthday is the classic pretext: everyone is there to celebrate, nobody can leave, and the waiting brings out what is usually left unsaid.

The condominium as a stage

The presentation insists on the condominium as a place of unexpected and unwelcome encounters. The condominium terrace is a perfect stage: private and public at once, open to the neighbors, to noises, to intrusions.

Male fragilities

Under the laughter there is a precise theme: three adult men with emotional blocks and psychosomatic disorders, very far from the model of the strong, confident son. The comedy laughs at them, but with affection.

Sala Umberto today: a theater with many souls

Today's Sala Umberto is not only a drama theater: the official website presents, alongside the season, sections devoted to theater for young audiences, training, an art space, great authors and new playwriting.

The brilliant comedy

In the 2026/2027 season lineup the brilliant comedy lives alongside singer-songwriter music, reinterpreted classics and contemporary texts. Figli maschi represents the strand of the new comedy, written by the performers themselves, which speaks to today's audience with recognizable situations.

The two neighbors

Alongside the three Centouno act Francesca Anna Bellucci, already on stage with the trio in Ci pensiamo domani, and Lara Balbo. In the plot they are the two more or less casual visitors to the condominium terrace: their lives, says the presentation, are even less settled than those of the brothers, and they are the ones who upset the balance of the party.

An audience of families

With the weekend matinees and the Carta del Docente accepted at the box office, Sala Umberto also presents itself as a theater for families from the center and nearby neighborhoods. A comedy about the family like Figli maschi finds its natural audience here.

Accessibility, recommended age and practical information

For the accessibility of Sala Umberto to people with reduced mobility and for access to the balcony, it is best to contact the theater box office, at 06 6794753, before buying.

With kids

Figli maschi is a brilliant comedy for adults, with no content that makes it unsuitable for kids. In our view it is enjoyable from 12 or 13 years up. The weekend matinees are the best time for a family.

Where to eat

In the streets between Via della Mercede, Via del Pozzetto and Via della Vite there are trattorias frequented at lunch by people who work in the buildings of the area. After a matinee there is time for an aperitivo in the center. After the evening shows many kitchens stay open, and the wine bars between Via del Corso and Piazza di Spagna serve until late.

February in the center

The second half of February is a relatively quiet period for the historic center: fewer crowds than in spring, days beginning to lengthen, evenings still cool. A matinee at Sala Umberto followed by a walk between Trevi and Piazza di Spagna is, in our view, one of the best ways to spend a winter Saturday in the city.

Frequently asked questions about Figli maschi at Sala Umberto

When is Figli maschi on at Sala Umberto?

Figli maschi by Centouno is on at Teatro Sala Umberto in Rome from February 16 to 28, 2027, with 12 performances: Tuesday to Friday at 20:30 (Wednesday the 24th at 19:30), Saturday and Sunday at 16:00. Monday the 22nd is a day off.

How much do tickets for Figli maschi cost?

Tickets for Figli maschi at Sala Umberto cost €34 for the poltronissima, €28 for the poltrona A and €22 for the poltrona B, according to the prices published by the theater. The theater accepts the Carta del Docente teacher bonus.

Who are Centouno?

Centouno are the comedy trio made up of Luca Latino, Flavio Moscatelli and Ezio Passacantilli, active since 2013. They write and perform their own comedies, such as Ci pensiamo domani and Figli maschi, both directed by Leonardo Buttaroni.

What is Figli maschi about?

Figli maschi tells of three brothers, sons of an unconventional single mother, who prepare a party for her 70th birthday on a condominium terrace. The mother is late, the three talk about their fragile lives and find themselves involved in the stories of two neighbors.

Who is in Figli maschi?

In Figli maschi at Sala Umberto the cast is Luca Latino, Flavio Moscatelli and Ezio Passacantilli, authors of the text, with Francesca Anna Bellucci and Lara Balbo. The direction is by Leonardo Buttaroni, the production by Lea Production.

How do you get to Sala Umberto?

Sala Umberto, at Via della Mercede 50, is reached by Metro Line A, getting off at Spagna or Barberini and continuing on foot for about 10 minutes. The historic center is a limited traffic zone.

Are there evening performances on the weekend?

Figli maschi at Sala Umberto has no evening performances on Saturday and Sunday: on the weekend the show starts only at 16:00. The evening shows are Tuesday to Friday at 20:30, with Wednesday, February 24 at 19:30.

Is it suitable for kids?

Figli maschi is a brilliant comedy for adults, with no content that makes it unsuitable for kids. Sala Umberto gives no age limits. In our view it is enjoyable from 12 or 13 years, better at the weekend matinees.

Final advice on Figli maschi at Sala Umberto

A Roman comedy trio that writes its own stories, a family comedy built on the wait for a mother who doesn't arrive, a hall from 1882 born for operettas that went through variety and cinema before returning to laughter. My advice is to choose the time carefully, because on the weekend there are only matinees, to take a poltrona A, and to go with someone from your family: brothers, sisters or, even better, the mother you have always kept waiting.

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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