Castellucci and Dafoe Stage Hawthorne's 'The Minister's Black Veil' in Naples

Director Romeo Castellucci has brought his adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1836 story 'The Minister's Black Veil' to Naples as part of 'Quartieri di vita', the winter section of the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia directed by Ruggero Cappuccio. The performance takes place in the deconsecrated 14th-century Church of Donnaregina Vecchia within the Museo Diocesano di Napoli. Actor Willem Dafoe portrays Reverend Hooper, delivering a continuous sermon while wearing a black veil that covers his face except for his mouth and jaw. The text includes an imaginary homily written by Chiara Guidi, expanding on the story's themes of faith, doubt, sin, and redemption. The production premiered in 2016 at the Church of San Michele in Antwerp. Castellucci's exploration of Hawthorne's tale follows an earlier, more mechanical staging, and connects thematically to his previous work 'Sul concetto di volto nel figlio di Dio', which featured Antonello da Messina's 'Salvator Mundi'.