In Naples, Myth Goes Noir: On the Stage at Villa di Donato, Homer’s (and Pirandello’s) Cyclops Becomes a Police Investigation
The 18th-century Neapolitan villa hosts a special day bridging the realms of archetype and stage performance:
at 5:30 PM, a roundtable discussion; at 9:00 PM, the premiere of the play “Nessuno sfugge al Ciclope”
written by Gigi Spina and directed by Francesco Puccio.
NAPLES – What would happen if Ulysses were to call a police station to report the disappearance of Penelope—held hostage by Polyphemus? Myth steps out of the pages of books to take on the hues of contemporary noir during a special day dedicated to narratives of the monstrous.
The event—titled “Anatomy of a Cyclops: Polyphemus and Other Monsters—Spaces, Myths, Narratives”—will take place at Naples’ 18th-century Villa di Donato on Thursday, June 4, 2026. It offers a dual opportunity for engagement, blending scholarly inquiry with avant-garde theater.
The curtain rises at 5:30 PM with a roundtable discussion curated by Professors Gigi Spina (University of Naples “Federico II”) and Francesco Puccio (eCampus University). This in-depth analysis will feature a dialogue among distinguished academics—including Valerio Petrarca and Arturo De Vivo (both from the University of Naples “Federico II”) alongside Cristina Pepe (University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”)—who will join forces to decode the figure of the Cyclops across the centuries. Admission to the roundtable is free, subject to seating availability.
At 9:00 PM, the academic forum gives way to dramatic performance with the premiere of “Nessuno sfugge al Ciclope” (No One Escapes the Cyclops). The production—featuring a script by Gigi Spina, with direction and dramaturgy by Francesco Puccio—will transport the audience into an unconventional investigation led by Commissioner Sileno.
Within the walls of a cavernous hideout, two Satyrs recite verses from Book IX of Homer’s *Odyssey* from memory, alternating them with Euripides’ *Cyclops* in Luigi Pirandello’s historic Sicilian translation. Original music by Ernesto Tortorella sets a brisk, ironic pace for the performance, featuring actors Antonio Coppola, Giacomo Casaula, Cristina Mazzaccaro, and Alessandro Musto in a theatrical interplay of deception, blindness, and reinterpretation.
An unmissable event that redefines the boundaries of classical myth—a tradition that, even today, continues to speak to us through the cultural codes of our own time.
INFO AND RESERVATIONS:
Contact: prenotazioni@villadidonato.it
WhatsApp: +39 345 7069148
Address: Villa di Donato – Via Macedonia, 12 (Piazza S. Eframo Vecchio) – Naples, Italy
