2021, a year of showbiz in the shadow of Covid

The cancellation of the year-end concerts in the squares of the major cities and the controversy over the hypothesis of a mandatory buffer for entry into cinemas and theaters are a bit of a synthesis of the disappointed hope of an all-round restart that had animated the sector of the show at the beginning of 2021. The year that is about to end has opened with the controversies for the Sanremo without an audience of Amadeus and Fiorello, forced to turn to an audience of balloons in the Ariston Theater (which, as a theater, a TV show, could not be open to the public while the theaters continued to remain closed). However, one of the memorable stories of 2021 also started from the festival: the victory of the Maneskin with a hard and pure rock song, in the temple of melodic ballads, was already a historical event in itself. But the Roman rock band, after having conquered the festival at the beginning of March with ‘Zitti e Buoni’ in front of the very favorites of the eve, Francesca Michielin and Fedez, on 22 May managed to win the Eurovision Song Contest, thus bringing back the competition in Italy (Turin will host it in 2022). And their rock, together with the glam clothes and the casual attitude, broke through in a few weeks far beyond the European borders, reaching heights never touched by an Italian rock band even in the USA, where it is no coincidence that the Rolling Stones allowed the four Roman boys to open the Las Vegas date of their tour. To counterbalance the glorious enterprise of the Maneskin, the many losses suffered also this year by the entertainment world. One above all, the death of Raffaella Carrà on July 5, perhaps the one that shocked public opinion the most, not only because between television shows and songs, the presenter and singer accompanied over 50 years of Italian history but also because in very few they knew it could happen, since the national Raffa had kept his illness in great secret. The tributes paid to Raffaella, even abroad (a square was named after her in Madrid before in Italy), are comparable only to those paid to the lady of dance Carla Fracci, who died less than two months earlier: on May 27. the reopening of indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas, theaters and concert halls, with limited capacities and inhomogeneous arrangements at the national level linked to the pandemic color of the regions (white, yellow, orange and red), has fueled surges of optimism since spring but also protests on the economic unsustainability of productions with a reduced number of spectators, the summer unfolded among crowded open-air shows (concerts, prose, opera and cinema in the arenas) and intergenerational catchphrases. In the 2021 summer airplay the real novelty are the associations between young stars and elderly icons: at a very high rotation on the radio and in the bathing establishments, ‘Mille’, sung by Fedez and Achille Lauro with Orietta Berti, and ‘Toy Boy’ by Colapesce resounded. and Dimartino with Ornella Vanoni. In the absence of stadiums and sports halls, still a mirage for concerts in 2021 and rescheduled with margins of uncertainty even for summer 2022, the controversy for the impromptu concert convened by word of mouth in Olbia by the Sardinian superstar of the rap Salmo and held in the substantial absence of spacing and masks. With the world of music equally divided between condemnation (among all that of Fedez who will exchange insults with the transgressor rapper) and approval (even that of a calm but firm Francesco De Gregori). September opened with the good wishes of a Venice Film Festival repopulated with stars but with the red carpet still ‘walled up’ in the eyes of fans and onlookers. The autumn news, thanks to the good progress of the vaccination campaign, is the reopening with 100% capacity (with mask and green pass) of cinemas and theaters. The numbers at the box office are not exciting: the fear of individuals and the habit consolidated by the pandemic of viewing on movie streaming platforms must be overcome. And in fact, if the shows in presence struggle, the production of audiovisual instead flies with the platforms that offer entertainment in streaming (from Netflix to Prime Video, to Disney +) in constant growth and in need of content. And it is no coincidence that one of the most anticipated films of the year, ‘It was the hand of God’ by Paolo Sorrentino, presented in Venice and at various international festivals with unanimous acclaim from critics and an Italian Oscar candidate, is the first produced by Netflix in the career of the Neapolitan director and arrives in theaters on November 24 with a three-week window (an exceptional concession for the habits of the streaming giant) before landing on the platform on December 16. Among the highlights of the year we cannot fail to point out the Ferragnez, great protagonists under the tree: first with the new album by Fedez ‘Disumano’ (released on November 26th but preceded by a viral campaign launched with the fake news of a possible Fedez’s candidacy for the 2023 policies, which ended up on several front pages) and then with the TV series on the most followed family on social media, which landed on Amazon on December 9 (the first five episodes) and December 16 (the following 3) with great success . The end of the year is also marked by the return of the premiere of the Scala in Sant’Ambrogio, with Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’ directed by Riccardo Chailly, directed by Davide Livermore and the audience of great occasions, with mask and green pass , starting with the highly acclaimed President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella (to whom the public asked in chorus for an ‘encore’, alluding to the expiry of his mandate). The inauguration of the La Scala dance season, which was scheduled for December 15th with La bayadère, did not have the same luck. The first is in fact postponed to December 21 due to an outbreak of positivity at Covid recorded both among dancers and production staff. Before saying goodbye to the year, the annual rite of the announcement of the singers competing in Sanremo 2022 (from 1 to 5 February) was also held, which will see on stage many artists of the Z generation, from Blanco to Sangiovanni, and some great returns, such as Gianni Morandi, Massimo Ranieri, Donatella Rettore and Iva Zanicchi. The average age of the cast is still very young with Amadeus continuing his work of rejuvenating the festival and seems to respond to another great trend of 2021: the increasingly massive escape from generalist TV of young audiences, which worries the broadcasters so much. In short, 2021, spent between reopening, restarts and false restarts, leaps and fears, closes with the great hope that 2022 can really mark the overcoming of the pandemic and the end of the limitations. Above all, we hope for artists and related activities linked to the big concerts, those in stadiums and arenas, which have been stopped for two years. Many have bet that next summer will be a good one, from Vasco, ready for big festivals and stadiums, to Jovanotti, who has planned the return of his Beach Parties. And everyone hopes that the new year will prove them right.