Deception 5 steps
Donato's Cross-Dressed Stand-In for Paolo's Absent Mother
Anna makes Paolo's mother's attendance a condition of the wedding, but the real mother refuses the invitation, so the group substitutes flatmate Donato, a cross-dresser, who walks Paolo down the aisle dressed as a woman so the guests believe the mother is present.
Read the 5 steps as text
- 1
Anna sets the mother-attendance condition
Anna
Anna agrees to celebrate the wedding only on conditions, including that Paolo's mother must attend.
- 2
Paolo invites his real mother
Paolo · Vincenza
With Antonio, Benedetta and Donato in tow, Paolo reluctantly visits his mother Vincenza in Naples to invite her to the wedding, but she has no interest in attending.
- 3
Donato offers to pose as the mother
Donato · Paolo
After Vincenza refuses, the cross-dresser Donato offers to pose as Paolo's mother to satisfy Anna's demand.
- 4
Donato walks Paolo down the aisle as a woman
Donato · Paolo
What it looked like: Donato appears to the wedding guests as Paolo's mother.
During the ceremony Roberto officiates in the town square, Donato walks Paolo down the aisle dressed as a woman.
- 5
The mother's presence appears fulfilled
Donato · Paolo · Vincenza
What it looked like: The guests are led to believe Paolo's mother is present, when the woman walking him down the aisle is Donato.
Donato's cross-dressed role presents a mother figure at the ceremony, while Paolo is pleasantly surprised to see that his real mother Vincenza is already there.
