The boy in the pink trousers' musical version arrives at the Sistina
Piparo's musical version tells the story of Andrea Spezzacatena, the young man who took his own life because he was a victim of bullying and cyberbullying
by Nicoletta Cottone
2' min read
Key points
2' min read
Coming to the Sistina stage is the story of Andrea Spezzacatena, the 15-year-old student at the Cavour high school in Rome who took his own life on 20 November 2012 because he was a victim of bullying and cyberbullying. Classmates had even created a Facebook page against him, labelling him 'the boy with the pink trousers'. Now the Sistina theatre has announced that the musical 'The Boy with the Pink Trousers', signed by Massimo Romeo Piparo, who will direct the adaptation with Roberto Proia, screenwriter of the eponymous revelation film by Eagle Pictures and Weekend Films and who has been nominated for the David di Donatello 2025 for this film, will arrive on the Roman stage in the next season.
On stage Samuele Carrino, the film's protagonist
.The show, to be staged exclusively in Rome in February 2026, will be an absolute novelty in the Sistina's playbill: in the role of Andrea there will be Samuele Carrino, the leading actor of the film, much loved by teenagers. Another innovative project for Massimo Romeo Piparo. A great film adapted for the Sistina stage, together with "Moulin Rouge! Il Musical", which will be presented exclusively in Rome at the Chapiteau Sistina in October.
A story that gets to the heart of the viewers
.With "The Boy with the Pink Trousers" Piparo chooses to focus on emotions, conveying a message of the highest social value on a matter that concerns everyone - children, families, educators, institutions - and reaches the heart of the spectators, stimulating reflection through art, beauty and music, not only to denounce the rampant phenomenon of bullying among young people, but also to try to look to the future with renewed confidence and hope. An awareness-raising objective already achieved by the blockbuster film that premiered at the Rome Film Festival on 24 October 2024 and then landed on Netflix in May 2025 (where for a month and a half it remained in the top ten most viewed films). The story is based on the book 'Andrea. Beyond the Pink Pants', written by the boy's mother, Teresa Manes. A book that retraces Andrea's tragic story and the subsequent media and judicial ordeal.
"Sing Again" by Arisa soul of the musical's soundtrack
The feature film was a great success with audiences and critics, with two nominations at the David di Donatello Awards -for Best Adapted Screenplay and a nomination for the David Giovani Award- and one at the Nastri d'Argento for Best Original Song, with the song "Canta ancora" performed by Arisa. It is precisely Arisa's song that will be the soul of the Musical's soundtrack, which will include several of the most popular pop music hits of recent years, arranged in a theatrical key in the perfect style of a juke-box musical. The choice of a soundtrack full of contemporary songs at the top of teenagers' playlists goes hand in hand with the precise intention that "pink trousers" may become the new iconic symbol of the fight against bullying and cyberbullying. A hallmark of those who are 'on the side of the weakest', an icon that will join the red shoes of feminicide or the 'red ribbon' of the fight against Aids.
