The Burning of a Sicilian Whore is based on the sparse facts known about the life of Giulia Tofana, a woman of humble beginnings who became a famous courtesan in 17th century Sicily.
In Giulia Menichelli’s play, we see Tofana take advantage of an education provided by a brothel owner, going on to study the art of apothecary and enjoying a degree of the freedom and independence extended only to men.
Menichelli’s Tofana is acutely aware of the violence suffered by wives at the hands of their husbands, and, in a society where women have no voice and can expect no redress, she gave them an agency of sorts in the form of a fatal concoction for administration to their abusers.
This is a convincing Tofana, proud of her achievement, not a feminist but a purveyor of natural justice. Milestones in her life story are marked by the arrival of the scirocco, a blinding wind that carries heat and sand from the Sahara, both cleansing and destructive.
Besides such thoughtfulness in the writing, some (fortunately brief) unprofitable audience participation and passages of “he said”, “she said” give the text an underworked feel, and hopefully Menichelli will revisit these elements to finesse this interesting and engaging play.