Mario and the Magician - with Introduction

Italy in the 1920s: a family spends their seaside holiday encountering nationalism and discrimination at every turn. For the sake of the children, they stay, and an evening with the magician Cipolla promises distraction.

Cipolla proves to be a brilliant hypnotist who creates a willing audience under his spell. The family watches with fascination and growing dread as the performance unfolds - until the charged atmosphere erupts in a terrible climax.

Thomas Mann's 1929 novella is a psychological portrait of a society seduced by fascism, surrendering responsibility, reason, and morality. The performance is accompanied by an introduction.