Maria Laura Baccarini

Gymnastics (she was a member of the Italian callisthenics national team) led her to dance, and as a dancer she got her first real professional job in the Showbiz. It was in 1985, in the Tv Show “Pronto chi gioca”, whose authors created especially for her, the following year, a new character: the Dancing Fairy in a quiz for children. In that same year, 1986, Maria Laura made also her debut as actress in theatre, in one of the most famous theatrical Festivals in Italy – Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto - with the play “PICCOLI EQUIVOCI” by C.Bigagli, together with important Italian actors such as S.Castellitto and E.Pozzi. She got that role after taking part in the short movie “IL VESTITO PIÙ BELLO” by F.Archibugi. All those experiences have been important but almost accidental steps of a career that has never been planned; not even a childhood dream, despite a great actress, Laura Carli as a grandmother, and a father who’s actor and dubbing manager. It was only later, when “A CHORUS LINE” was first staged in Italy (1990), that her career began really to take shape. In that show Maria Laura played “Cassie”, the leading rôle, a part that emphasized all her talent, skills and versatility.
"A CHORUS LINE" (1990-92, staged again in spring 1998), gave birth to a beautiful and long-lasting work with “Compagnia della Rancia” and Saverio Marconi. With that same company and director, she played also the female leading character in “IL GIORNO DELLA TARTARUGA” (1992-93) and “CABARET” (1993-94). The rôle of Sally Bowles, due to its intrinsic complexity and the unavoidable comparison with Liza Minnelli, confirmed and exalted all Maria Laura’s technical and interpretative qualities. “Cabaret” was to Maria Laura not only a great personal success, but also a moment of professional growth that pushed her towards new paths. 1995-96 she acted “GIGI”, a play where she had the chance to work with important and experienced actors such as E.Calindri, L.Feldman and I.Barzizza.
Her need and desire to keep learning and continuously improve, made her chose to travel and work abroad. In 1991 she played the leading character in “A Chorus Line” at the University Theatre in New York and the following year she was Anita in the European Tour (English edition) of “WEST SIDE STORY”. In 1997 she played again “Cassie” in “A Chorus Line”-UK Tour.( An Italian artist as leading lady of a show in England!!!).
In 1998 she staged in Rome a One Woman Show titled “TUTTO IL MONDO VA IN CERCA DI AMORE” (The whole World is searching for love). Then she was “Sonia Walsk”, the leading character in “THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG”(1998-2000 – Italian edition), directed by Gigi Proietti, as she was also later in Cooney’s farce “RUN FOR YOUR WIFE” (2000-02 - Italian edition).
Meeting Proietti has been fundamental in Maria Laura’s career, as through his direction and his great experience, he gave her the chance to mature and improve professionally. Riccardo Biseo and Stefano Bontempi (respectively musical director and coreographer in “They’re playing our Song”) are two more artists Maria Laura is particularly happy to have met (met again with regard to Bontempi, as they had already worked together in “Cabaret”), for the way they added worth to her work. Together they gave birth to an artistic cooperation, whose results were reciprocal growth and human and professional enrichment.
2002-03 Maria Laura took part in “PROMISES, PROMISES” (Italian edition), directed by J.Dorelli, with R. Biseo as musical director and S.Bontempi as choreographer. At the moment Maria Laura is brilliantly playing “Roxie Hart” in the Italian edition of “CHICAGO”, where again she has the pleasure to work with Biseo and Bontempi. Both “Promises, Promises” and “Chicago” were translated into Italian by a great author and song writer such as Giorgio Calabrese, someone Maria Laura is delighted to have known and worked with.
Theatre is without any doubt, Maria Laura’s ideal and most natural dimension, but this is not an obstacle for her experiencing something new! She’s always curious, always eager to learn more and explore new paths, mostly when they have to do with music. She longs for expressing herself at her own best trough music and show, facing herself with different worlds and different audiences.
In fact she’s got some important projects in France; one is a Show celebrating some of the Greatest American Authors (Bernstein and Sondheim among others), with a French Star such as Lambert Wilson. Maria Laura is always trying to increase and enrich her store of knowledge and experience, but, as it has been so far, without compromises and without betraying her true self. (Leyla Lenzi)