He staged the whole action, except for the first scene, in a giant amusement park. The first scene was performed by the singers partly walking into the orchestra from the side entrances, and partly on the forestage, in front of the closed curtain. Only after Nick Shadow's words 'The rake's progress begins!' did the curtain open on the crazy crowd in the park. The inflatable sets made the already unreal amusement park look even more unreal, and very similar to a TV set. In the last act, when Tom Rakewell finally understood what Nick shadow really wanted from him, the sets fell down, uncovering the desolate reality behind the glamour of the park. In the scene in the madhouse the same setting was populated by people aimlessly walking around on the stage.

The musical side was excellent. The orchestra of the Teatro Comunale, well prepared for the occasion by its resident conductor Daniele Gatti, played flawlessly. The cast featured American tenor Marlin Miller as Tom Rakewell, who sang with perfect style and complied to all the demanding stage directions, and mezzo Sara Fulgoni, who lent her lush voice to Baba the Turk. All the other cast members were also very good: Ellie Dehn as Anne Truelove, Richard Paul Fink as Nick Shadow, Darren Jeffery as Truelove, and Michele Castagnaro as the Keeper. The chorus, directed by Marcel Seminara, deserves special mention for the commitment shown by all members to Bieito's direction.

On the whole, Bieito's interpretation of Stravinsky and Auden's work was very convincing, and was warmly received by the audience, who cheered all the principals, the conductor and the production team.