Same place, same pattern, more or less the same script. Two weeks later, the two main contenders in the administrative race on 8 and 9 June competed on the same ground, that Ariston Theatre which in 2019 paved the way for Alberto Biancheri towards his reconfirmation as head of Palazzo Bellevue.
Before Gianni Rolando (centre-right) on May 5th, then Alessandro Mager (street address) on the 19th of the same month. A similar format, although with different times (Rolando exceeded two hours, Mager was within an hour and a half). In both cases we saw dances (and many wondered why), the names of the neighbourhoods, first in the version of dancing t-shirts and then becoming stadium-style banners, and the presentation of the lists a bit like the announcement of the lineups before the match. Furthermore, the centre-right coalition also brought some regional and national representatives of the government parties to Sanremo, also having a spokesperson for each list speak: some left their mark, others less so. The civic team, on the other hand, opted for a more minimal operation, giving the floor only to the mayoral candidate. A double show with a vaguely American flavour, at least in intention, where however the show element risked overpowering the announced protagonists: the mayoral candidates and their lists.
THE mayoral candidates, precisely. Different in their programs and in their approach to public affairs, but they share a lack of inclination for the stage: neither of them is a born showman, it must be said. So much so that calling for applause wasn’t always easy and their interventions awakened the public only with more or less veiled digs at their opponents. The respective programs, however, did not elicit memorable reactions other than some ovations in the most delicate passages such as waste collection or potholes in the street.
All in a frantic search for the sold out that doesn’t exist. Neither of the two filled the Ariston to the last place, in both cases there were a few free seats both in the stalls and in the gallery. Rolando and Mager filled the theater, but no one managed to fill all the seats. The Rolando team flaunted the presence of 2,000 people, while Mager from the stage brought back a festival mantra that seemed exclusive to Rai: “The Ariston is too small for us”.
A clear draw, then? The X sign seems the most balanced verdict for two proposals that are extremely different in content but very similar in form.
