Two bosses face showdwn at Naples’ calamitous San Carlo

The story so far:

Italy’s nationalist government fired the Frenchman Stéphane Lissner as Sovrintendent of San Carlo by passing an ageist law limiting such jobs to the under 70s.

In place of Lissner, they appointed Carlo Fuortes, head of the national broadcaster, Rai.

He started work this week.

Two days ago, a court ordered San Carlo to reinstate Lissner.

So now there are two managers and neither will budge.

Lissner says: ‘Months spent in limbo that I didn’t deserve but above all the San Carlo Theatre and the city of Naples didn’t deserve. Today, the Court of Naples gave the first, fundamental signal of how my dismissal was an illegitimate and ad hominem act, devoid of concepts of legal civility that guide every democratic system… Now, I am available to carry out my task together with the extraordinary people who work in the Theatre.’

Fuortes (pic) said: ‘I’m staying here for the good of the theatre. I’m at work and I only worry about doing the best for San Carlo. I work for what I have to do. I hope I’m doing a great job and continue like this. I only talk about what I say and do, nothing else.’