Arturo Brachetti
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Arturo Brachetti (; born 13 October 1957) is an Italian quick-change artist considered the best quick change performer in the world. In the
Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
, he is described as the quickest and most prolific quick-change artist in the world.


Early life

Brachetti was born in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
. His career covers a wide artistic range and has made him an international name. The change from one costume to another is performed in a matter of seconds, often by throwing a sheet up and completely changing the costume by the time it falls. In the current show, Brachetti performs 80 characters in one evening. His skills also include shadowgraphy and sand painting. As a child, he frequented a seminary, where he met a young priest,
Silvio Mantelli Silvio Mantelli (born 22 May 1944) is an Italian Salesian Catholic priest, whose principal ministry is that of a Gospel magician. His stage name is "Mago Sales". He was born in Turin. He is currently the Director oFondazione Mago Sales an organ ...
, with the hobby of magic. Spending most of his time in the magical warehouse of the priest, Brachetti learnt all kinds of magic tricks. At the age of 15, using costumes borrowed from the seminary's theatre, he invented and performed his first quick-change act, an art introduced to the world by Leopoldo Fregoli (1867–1936).


Career

His professional career began in 1978 in France at the Parisian cabaret Paradis Latin, under the direction of Jean Marie Rivière. This led to a starring role in
André Heller Franz André Heller (; born 22 March 1947 as Francis Charles Georges Jean André Heller-Hueart) is an Austrian artist, author, poet, singer, songwriter, and actor. Biography Heller was born in Vienna into a wealthy Jewish family of sweets manuf ...
's German production of "Flic Flac"(1981). From Germany he went to England, appearing at London's
Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...
starring in the production of "Y" which ran for just over a year (1983–84). He was nominated for the prestigious Society of West End Theatre Award. That same year he performed at "The Covent Garden Christmas Gala" in the presence of the British royal family. On his return to Italy, he participated as the guest star in 10 episodes of the television show '' Al paradise'' for the Italian national television
RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
(1985). It was after this that he was introduced to the Italian theatre scene. This led to a string of successful theatre productions (M. Butterfly, L'Histoire du Soldat, Varietà, In Principio Arturo, Amami Arturo, Il Mistero dei Bastardi Assassini, I Massibilli, etc.), and television appearances, making him one of the most critically acclaimed young actors of the Italian stage. He also memorably performed as the interval act at the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. He returned to London to perform in Tony Harrison's production of "Square Rounds" at the National Theatre. In 1989 and 1990 he was also a regular performer on '' The Best of Magic'' for
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
. Then off to
Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...
where, with
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
, he co-hosted the show ''A Night of Magic'', which was transmitted internationally. From 1995, with the Italian production company Compagnia Della Rancia and the director Saverio Marconi, Brachetti continued to concentrate on creating and developing musicals for the Italian audience. His original musical "Fregoli" won the Biglietto D'Oro (Golden Ticket Award) for the best-selling show in a season (280,000 tickets). His popularity continued with the production of "Brachetti in Technicolor" and "Midsummer Night's Dream". In the opera field, he played the storyteller in Stravinsky's "
Histoire du soldat ', or ''Tale of the Soldier'' (as it was first published), is an hour-long 1918 theatrical work to be "read, played and danced ''()''" by three actors, one or more dancers, and a septet of instruments. Its music is by Igor Stravinsky, its libret ...
", "
Peter and the wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и волк, Pétya i volk, p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk) Op. 67, a "symphonic tale for children", is a Program music , programmatic musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a ...
"(2011) and "Allegro un po' troppo" (2013). His appearance on a live episode of ''
The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionaliz ...
'' in 1999 gave him a "pick of the day" title on the program
Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', briefly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...
. He also played a role in the Warner sitcom Nikki. In 1999 he presented his new show in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, produced by the Just for laughs festival. His one-man show "The Man With a Thousand Faces" featured more than 80 transformations. The show won the Moliere Award in Paris and then the Canadian Olivier Award the same year. After 700 sold-out performances in Paris, the show went on tour in French-speaking countries, Germany and several cities in the USA. In 2003
Jeffery Deaver Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He lat ...
named Brachetti in his bestseller The Vanished Man. In Christmas 2004, he was invited to perform in the
Élysée Palace The Élysée Palace (, ) is the official residence of the President of France, President of the French Republic in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed g ...
in Paris in the presence of President
Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Paris ...
. In 2006, Brachetti's show reached the proportion of a big musical production with over 1000 performances completed and over 1.5 million tickets sold. Brachetti directed several shows from 1994 onwards. In Germany: "Fantasissimo" and "1000 Nachte" at the Wintergarten Theatre in Berlin; in Italy: "I Corti", "Tel chi el Telun", "Meta fisico metà fa schifo" and the tour of singer
Angelo Branduardi Angelo Branduardi (born 12 February 1950) is an Italian folk music, folk/folk rock singer-songwriter and composer who scored relative success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece. Early and ...
. In 2006 he directed the show ''Anplagghed'' with the Italian comedians Aldo, Giovanni and Giacomo. A film version of the show came out in cinemas in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in November 2006. In 2012 the last show by
Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo are an Italian trio of comedians, actors, directors and screenwriters, comprising Cataldo "Aldo" Baglio (; born 28 September 1958), Giovanni Storti (; born 20 February 1957) and Giacomino "Giacomo" Poretti (; born 26 ...
"Ammutta Muddica". In 2008 he created and toured the show "Gran Varietà Brachetti" a big production involving 25 artists and celebrating the world of
Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
. On 26 October 2009, Just for Laughs presented Brachetti in a new production by Sean Foley titled 'Change' at London's
Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...
due to run through until 3 January 2010. For this show, he was nominated for the 2010 "
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
". In 2008 he presented the One Man Show directed by Serge Denoncourt dedicated to the world of Cinema, playing more than 80 characters. In 2006 he received the diploma
Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from the Accademia Belle Arti. In December 2011 he received the title of
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
from the French Ministry of Culture
Frédéric Mitterrand Frédéric Mitterrand (21 August 1947 – 21 March 2024) was a French actor, screenwriter, producer, and politician who served as Minister of Culture and Communication of France from 2009 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. Early life ...
. In Italy he received the title of Commander in June 2014. In 2013 and 2014 he was a judge in the French TV show ''The Best'' broadcast by
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...
. An animated statue of Brachetti, changing costumes every 20 seconds, is displayed at Musée Grevin, the wax museum of Paris,Parigi celebra Arturo Brachetti: l'artista nel museo delle cere Grévin, Affari italiani, 4 dicembre 201

/ref> Prague, Montreux and Montreal.


References


External links


Arturo Brachetti's official web siteBrachetti's record in the Guinness Book web siteInterview with Jeaffrey Deaver

Arturo Brachetti in Vaudeville old&new an encyclopedia of variety performances
by Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, Donald McNeilly * Arturo Brachetti in Magicpedi

* * Interview (French) with Arturo Brachetti
Dans le repair turinois d'Arturo Brachetti
Le Monde, 28 September 2013
Arturo Brachetti gives London a quick change
The Times, 20 October 2009
Interview (Italian) with Arturo Brachetti about his career
2013
Interview (Italian) with Arturo Brachetti, Brachetti: "La magia è tornare bambini"
Avvenire, 25 March 2013
Interview (in German) with Arturo Brachetti, Hamburg 1981

Interview (Italian) with Corriere della Sera
22 August 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brachetti, Arturo 1957 births Living people Theatre people from Turin Entertainers from Turin Italian magicians