Natale in casa Cupiello Presented by the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan.
The cast was made up of a wonderful group of volunteers, amateurs committed to dedicating their free time to make this event fun and memorable for the community. Rehearsals began in February 2019 and took place at the Dante Alighieri offices and in the homes of cast members. Though they had a dress rehearsal in the theatre on December 16, the first time the entire cast was on stage together was the night of the performance.
The cast included Franco Iaderosa, Lia Adelfi, Lino Scamardella, Wladmiro Marcelli, Annunziata Mazza-Perpetuini, Pierluigi Erbaggio, Massimo Fulfaro, Massimo Risi, Daniela D’Amico Henderson, Anna Pedalino, Maria Giovanna Ferrigno, Giovanni Mastrangelo, Tonino Corsetti, Monica Buscaroli, Sara Corsetti, and Gerardo Alvino. Michael Scamardella provided a musical interlude Lacrime napulitane (Neapolitan Tears). Gianfranco Cataldo performed the audio/video duties, and Erika Caturegli was the makeup artist.
Natale in casa Cupiello, written in 1931, is part of Italy’s Christmas tradition. It takes place in Naples, where Luca Cupiello (portrayed by Franco Iaderosa) and his wife Concetta (portrayed by Lia Adelfi) try to get ready for Christmas while their children Ninuccia (portrayed by Annunziata Mazza-Perpetuini) and Tommasino (portrayed by Wladimiro Marcelli) complicate the preparations. Luca’s bachelor brother Pasquale (portrayed by Lino Scamardella), adds to the family discord. As Luca works on the presepe (the traditional Nativity scene), his wife and son constantly criticize his efforts. Luca is explaining this art to his son Tommasino: each ”pastore” (shepherd) has its place; there are the mountains, the tiny houses in the back to give depth to the scene, the shack where baby Jesus comes to life, and the natural waterfall coming down from the mountains.
Meanwhile, Ninuccia is in love with Tommasino’s best friend, Vittorio (portrayed by Massimo Risi), and wants to leave her husband, Nicolino (portrayed by Pierluigi Erbaggio). The plot develops around Christmas Eve dinner, and the story escalates when Nicolino understands his wife’s intentions. Luca has a stroke caused by the stress and, until his last breath, tries to save his daughter’s marriage and convince his son Tommasino about the importance of the Christmas tradition of the presepe. A Dying Luca tells his family, “Vi dovete voler bene” (you must love one another). Only at this point do the Cupiello family members seem to be willing to change their attitudes and improve their family dynamic.
For its adaptation of Natale in casa Cupiello, the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan elected to keep its original linguistic form, a combination of Neapolitan dialect and Italian. The play’s translation into English subtitles was done by Wayne State University “Italian 6700 –Performing Italy” students Paula Qefaliaj, Tullio DiMichele, and Taylor Claybrook, led by Professor Elena Past.
Having been sold out for weeks, this evening was greatly anticipated, and there was never a doubt that it would be thoroughly entertaining. However, the level of professionalism and the high-performance quality amazed everyone in the audience, who responded with a standing ovation and thunderous applause. The Dante Alighieri Society is congratulated for bringing this exceptional play to our community.
By Sandra Tornberg
