Sabrina Impacciatore, known to American audiences for her roles in “The White Lotus” and “The Paper,” performed a time-travel musical celebrating the 100-year history of the Winter Olympics, showcasing a number of on-stage costumes, including a stunning vintage ski costume designed by Emilio Pucci for Iran’s jet-flying Princess Soraya that she wore in Cortina, the site of Italy’s first Winter Games in 1956.
No artificial snow was used in Cortina that year. But in today’s increasingly warming world, snowplow cannons are planned to spray about 2.4 million cubic meters (3.1 million cubic yards) of fine-grained flakes. Organizers have vowed to use entirely renewable energy to power the cannons, enough to cover the 116 Olympic medal events scheduled over 17 days.
Impacciatore’s live stage performance featured scenes from the 1920s to the 1990s to the present day, with musical selections featuring jazz and swing music, as well as iconic Italian singer Adriano Celentano’s hit song “Prisencolinensinaintusol,” which is considered the first Italian-language rap song of all time. The song’s improvised text is written in an invented language that phonetically imitates English.
“Prisenkolinensinaintusol,” which Celentano said represents universal love, was recorded by Aiyana Lee under the title “Prisenkolinen (Americano Joint)” and is included in the Spike Lee film The Highest and the Worst.
Impacciatore, who played hotel manager Valentina in Season 2 of The White Lotus, which was set in Sicily, was little known outside of Italy before appearing on the hit HBO show, which also gave her a boost to her local career.
