NINE - Character Synopsis

My musical theatre company is doing Nine this fall, and I have been casted as Claudia Nardi so I am very excited. I dont know tons about this musical, and I really want to know what this character is like....so I was just wondering if anyone could let me know, or tell me a good place to find out how I can do some character searching for her.

Thanks a bunch guys.

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congrats. youll be happy to know that she has a great solo at the beginning of act 2 (you prob know this, though). she once was a mistress of Guido.........

heres the short version (pm me if you need to know more)

claudia is a married actress living in france that is guido's former mistress and his only creative inspiration. Its also very likely she is his one true love of the group.

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Claudia tells us all about what her life consists of now in a spoken monologue intercut with Carla's 2nd act song, "Simple". It's a wonderful, powerful moment - poignant and heart-stopping -at least to me. She also has the best song in the how, "Unusual Way".

I saw both Laura Benanti and Rebecca Luker play the part which tells you it's the role that requires the best voice in the cast.

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Laura Benanti created the role in the revival, so she of course was terrific. She has a superb and beautiful voice. Ironically, Luker created the role of Maria in the Sound of Music revival, ultimately to be replaced by Benanti when her contract ran out. In this, it was the other way around.

Thanks a lot! I'm very excited. I just wish that I could see the show. There isnt any film of it done by any chance is there?

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Do you think they would have it at the library?

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Both ladies were wonderful - I couldn't choose between them.

It's not necessarily a showy part - she doesn't get resentful and angry like Luisa or get sexy and seductive like Carla - she's the woman Guido puts on a pedestal - the goddess who got away. At least in his mind. Of course he never really bothered to find out who, in fact, she was. I think that's what makes her monologue so powerful, she's finally opening up to him and telling him the truth about herself which is touchingly mundane and, well, normal. It turns out that it takes very little to make her happy - something the self-dramatizing Guido never understood.

Congrats on getting the part. It's a lovely role in a very beautiful show.

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mallardo, That is an amazing description of the part. Thank you so much.

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Congrats!!! I just did a really long run of this show...great if you are Claudia...but not so great if you are Guilietta sitting on your little box for the entire first act occasionally getting up to dance or act stupid. :-p Claudia is an awesome part and she gets to sing THE most gorgeous song... "Unusual Way" ... and she has a really powerful scene with Guido at the beach where he grew up right before her song. She's his muse and loves him, but he thinks of her pretty much ONLY as his muse, not as someone he puts on a pedestal.

She also gets a cute bit in the "Grand Canal" sequence where she plays Casanova's wife Beatrice...the "Grand Canal" is his movie where he plays Casanova and the movie about Casanova is like...his life set to a musical. He does this because she mentions something to Guido about him being a Casanova, which is where he gets the idea...and he wants her to play his muse in the film...but she refuses to play that part again and they have a little fight on the set where she throws her same old costume back at him...and he recasts her in the role of his wife, and they do a cute little duet.

Plus, Claudia gets to be in the fun Act 1 group numbers like "Folies Bergeres" and "Be Italian." Break a leg and have fun!

She is also Italian, correct?

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Wow, congratulations! Claudia, in my humble oppinion, is the best role in the show. "Unusual Way" is an amazing and beautiful song, very few rank as high as it does in my book. The scene where Guido and Claudia were on the beach had me sniffling and crying, so powerful. Good luck! :)

Here's a question: In the show, I remember there being more dialouge between Guido and Claudia around the song "Unusual Way" than that which appeared on the recording. It was a stand-out scene and their conversation really touched me live, so was alot of it cut for time on the revival cast recording? I can't quite remember...

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