Written by James Melo
Directed by Donald T. Sanders
Set & Costumes by Vanessa James

March 1, 2 & 4, 2006
The Kosciuszko Foundation
15 E. 65th St. 
NY, NY

Life imitates art in this theatrical concert based on D’Annunzio’s disturbing novel L’Innocente. A story of love, betrayal, and infanticide, the performance offers a mirror reflecting the passionate and destructive love affair between the Italian poet and novelist Gabriele D’Annunzio and Elonora Duse, one of the greatest actresses of her day. An artist who immersed himself in the extremes of sensuality and luxury, D’Annunzio found in Duse his perfect muse and the embodiment of his most memorable heroines.

Excerpts from L’Innocente, the letters of D’Annunzio and Duse, and the music of Puccini, Respighi, Busoni, and Verdi tell a story that reveals the tempestuous intensity of the Italian soul.