# The Advertisement

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***The Advertisement*** (Italian: *L'Inserzione*) is a [theatre](/source/Theatre) [play](/source/Play_(theatre)) by Italian writer [Natalia Ginzburg](/source/Natalia_Ginzburg), first performed in [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain) by the [National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre) in 1968.

## Plot summary

A three-act play, *The Advertisement* looks at the relationship between Teresa and Elena, and Teresa's former lover Lorenzo. Responding to an advertisement in a local paper, Elena, a young student, comes to inspect a room that Teresa has put up for rent in her house.[1] The two develop a bond, and Teresa explains her history with Lorenzo, a lover who has left her. But the three-way relationship takes a turn when Lorenzo turns up at the house and subsequently begins an affair with Elena.

## Characters

- Teresa
- Elena
- Lorenzo
- Giovanna
- A Boy

## Production history

*The Advertisement* was given its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in [Brighton](/source/Brighton), Great Britain, in a production by the [National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre), and subsequently transferred to [London](/source/London)'s [Old Vic Theatre](/source/Old_Vic_Theatre), in 1968. The original cast consisted of [Joan Plowright](/source/Joan_Plowright) (Teresa), Anna Carteret (Elena), Edward Petherbridge (Lorenzo) and Helen Bourne (Gionvanna). [Derek Jacobi](/source/Derek_Jacobi) later took over the role of Lorenzo. At the time of the Old Vic premiere, the BBC broadcast a radio adaptation of it.

## Publication

The playtext was published in 1969 by Faber and Faber, in a translation by Henry Reed.

## References

1. Anderlini, Serena (1987). ["The Advertisement: New-feminist Re-readings and Old-fashioned Triangles in the Dramaturgy of Natalia Ginzburg"](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8w44m3zz). *Carte Italiane*. **1** (8). [doi:10.5070/C918011253](https://doi.org/10.5070/C918011253). [ISSN 0737-9412](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0737-9412)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Advertisement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Advertisement) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Advertisement?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.