Leslie Fiedler pronounced it the first American tragedy. F.O. Mathiessenconsidered it the “Puritan Faust.” Until now, it appeared t hat Nathaniel Hawthorne's haunting drama of judgement, alienation, and redemption would be forever confined to the page. Now comes the stage version to do it justice. DeMaiolo's brooding choruses of superstition and doubt hover like the furies hungry for vengeance on the “voluptuous Oriental” woman whose fate would commingle with every life in Salem. The audience joins the chorus as they weigh the American contract of freedom against the fine print of convention and taboo. Performancerights available from Applause.
