The whole world is ready to pay tribute to the legendary Raffaella Carrà, who would have celebrated her 80th birthday tomorrow, 18 June. The Italian television queen has become immortal thanks to her skills, professionalism, charm and great human energy. Showgirl, singer, dancer, actress, TV presenter and author, Raffaella marked an era. She influenced Italian fashion and costume, refined the genre of the variety show, and embodied a model of freedom for the female generations so far and today. Moreover, she was deeply committed to fighting against diversity and gender discrimination.
Her sudden death on 5 July 2021 threw everyone into shock and despair, leaving an unbridgeable void in the hearts of million people. Meanwhile, events to pay tribute to her are multiplying.
Tonight, at 8.35 p.m., the Italian channel Rai1 will air a special episode of Techetechete, entitled MITICA RAFFAELLA by Massimiliano Canè. in other words, it is a journey through the Carràbile step of a unique and unrepeatable artist. On the other hand, since yesterday, 16 June, Rai Teche has brought to RaiPlay the five episodes of the programme Millemilioni, a tour of the five great world capitals (Buenos Aires, Rome, Mexico City, Moscow and London), one of the first experiments in international television co-production.
And again, a giant picture of Raffaella Carrà has been on the advertising screens in Times Square in New York for the past few days. Spotify has chosen the Romagna-born artist as an ambassador of Equality for her commitment: she has always supported the rainbow community. Since 16 June, three of her albums have come out on Spotify, Fiesta (Italian Edition), Mi spendo tutto and Raffaella.
From 18 to 24 June, the Teatro del Giglio in Lucca will host Com’ è bello far la moda. Here, you will admire a selection of 30 stage costumes from the private archives of Salerno-born Giovanni Gioia and Vincenzo Mola. Raffaella wore them during her artistic career. Furthermore, from 23 June to 3 September 2023, the Museo Civico in Bari will host the exhibition Raffaella.
Icon of Art, by Maria Paternostro and Silvia Minelli, is an original way to celebrate a style model whose unmistakable blond bob marked the fashion and hairstyles of the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition includes graphic works by artists from all over the world: from the Greek Kelly K. to the Chilean Gabriel Ebensperger, from the Persian Daria Derakhshan to the French Zelda Bomba, up to the Italians Simon The Graphic, Il Grande Flagello, Stefano Menicagli, Andrea Giacopuzzi, Elisabetta Raineri, Andrea Mattiello, but also many street artists, from Lediesis with their SuperRaffaella to Carla Bru and her collages, from Laben and her stencils to Miss Quark who focused on the advertising route.
A small section is dedicated to the comics with Vauro and Donald Soffritti and two drawers active on social media, Audace Social Club and Giancarlo Covino. Lastly, the special tribute by Steo Disney will display his famous dolls dedicated precisely to Carrà. But that’s not all, from 6 to 12 July, the docufilm Raffa, directed by Daniele Luchetti, with many never-before-seen images, which will later be shown on Disney +, will be in the cinemas, tracing the life and career of the Italian TV icon, born Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni in Romagna.
Raffa in the Sky, a lyric opera dedicated to her, will debut at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo on 28 September. On 2 November, at the Teatro Capitol in Madrid, there will be the world premiere of the musical Bailo Bailo, directed by Federico Belloni, the biggest fiesta to celebrate her 80th birthday. Raffaella was much loved and popular in Spain, where Plaza Raffaella Carrà was named after her, in Madrid’s very central Malasaña district.
Finally, after the philatelic homage with a stamp depicting a portrait of the showgirl issued last 25 November, Carrà’s face, which is now in the DNA of us all, has entered the 2023 numismatic collection. The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the State Mint and Printing Institute issued a unique coin for the Great Italian Artists series. With a face value of 5 euro, it is the work by Silvia Petrassi and features a double portrait in half-length, on the obverse, inside an ideal television screen, and in full-length, on the reverse, on a stage.
