''Archangels Don't Play Pinball'' (Italian language, Italian title: ''Gli arcangeli non giocano al flipper'') is a 1959 two-act play by Dario Fo. The play uses the metaphor of a pinball machine—a new innovation in Italy at the time and one which Fo and his wife Franca Rame were fond of— to convey Mechanization, mechanisation and conspicuous consumption.

Plot summary

A group of young Milanese men play a prank on one of their group - "Lofty". They arrange a fake marriage to a prostitute, who pretends to be a beautiful Albanian princess. Lofty has a problem - he needs to get identity papers from the Ministry. The only way he can do this is to become a dog. He is taken into a local kennel, where he is eventually bought by a circus owner. After various further adventures, Lofty eventually awakes, only to find that it has all been a dream. But the lovely lady is still there with him. Archangels don't play pinball with people's lives.

Song

The play is also noted for its use of song. One example is "Stringimi forte i polsi" (Hold my wrists tightly together) which the protagonist Il Lungo (Stretch) sings to an "Albanian" prostitute whose wrists he is bound to.Mitchell 1999, p. 67 It would later be the theme tune to the TV programme ''Canzonissima''.

Translations

Ed Emery has carried out an authorised English translation.Fo, Dario. ''Archangels Don't Play Pinball'', trans. Ed Emery, Methuen Books, London, 1987. Online version at http://www.geocities.ws/dariofoarchive/archangels.html

References

{{Dario Fo Plays by Dario Fo 1959 plays

Plot summary

Song

Translations

Further reading

References