Screenwriters Lena Kitsopoulou and Yiannis Asteris present the dramatic faces of their new play as “fridge food” that will probably “have to be thrown away” because some of it is “dangerously dirty”. “Night at Epidaurus”. The theater time covers the Friday evening after the long-awaited premiere, and the action takes place mainly in the famous Leonida tavern in the village of Ligurio. The work captures a relaxed, spontaneous and disturbingly real situation, photographing the behavior of the performers of the performance taking place on the sacred stage of the ancient monument of Epidaurus.

It lends dramatic character to various artistic components, such as the main characters – leading actresses, theater audience, costume designer, festival director.

Nikos Karathanos conceived the idea of ​​staging a “theatrical sinafi”, with humor and clarity, treating it as a prismatic role, in a work that strongly bears traces of stereotyping, satire, parodies and mockery of the faces and situations of a familiar person. theatrical system, to which, of course, the director himself belongs.

The dramaturgy of this “Night” does not pretend to be anything more than what is heard in the monologue dedicated to “Nothing” and interpreted with particular sensitivity and simplicity by Harula Alexiou, in the role of a cook – owner of a tavern in Ligurio, who has a “specialization in moussaka” .

Philosophical “nothing” as a multi-valued, dynamically changing and extremely surreal “nothing” is dedicated to the demystification of theatrical people, jealous heroines, “appearance”, self-centeredness, self-importance of “bought”, conceited, narcissistic artists.

It is dedicated to the famous “wells” and “burials” behind the backs of the actors of the play, flattering and false words of admiration addressed to the main character of the interlude.

Bold language, a mood of overturning the familiar and a sharp sense of humor and irony highlight all the details of post-theatrical reality and compose a verbal collage of self-referential allusions associated with the role of theatrical art. and the people who serve him in the system of domestic arts. There’s no shortage of picks like “what degree is an actor’s degree equivalent to?” or comments like “we haven’t eaten! Why do we have to pay? when the bill arrives at the Leonidas Tavern.”

Dramatic and directorial intent converge, creating the following: crazy fun, a satirical stage composition that reveals mutual lies, insinuations, evasions, jokes and pettiness of the inherently fragile personalities of the artists.

Nikos Karathanos is staging a play that has traces of a parody of the faces and situations of the familiar theatrical system, to which, of course, he also belongs.

The scenery of Eva Manidaki is divided into two parts: on the left is a live orchestra of musicians hidden in the rocks, and on the right are the stands of the ancient theater of Epidaurus, which also serve as slides for the arrival of the actors. In the center there is an alternating scene of a dining room, a grill-fish counter, and to the left and very close to the first spectator seats, the tables of a tavern, swinging repeatedly depending on the words of the multi-talented regulars.

Caratanos organizes well-organized ensembles, directed by Amalia Bennett, and treats the play essentially as a musical, with actors characterized by a special flexibility, a sense of comic size and a clear orientation towards the interpretation of roles that require variety. musical and dancing abilities. Emily Koliandri as seasoned protagonist who “knows she deserves it”, Christos Loulis, an excellent protagonist who “knows she deserves it more”, Zeta Makripulia as newbie who “refuses to believe what she is appeared”, Thanasis Alevras as the costume designer of the patristic church. with “shattered dreams of a career abroad”.

Galini Hatzipashali, as the artistic director of the festival, an actress with a special comic temperament, exclaims “What festivals do I have”, measuring the success of the show with buses and “traffic jams all the way to Old Epidaurus”.

Numerous troupe of talented actors impresses with its dynamic performance. The delight of the audience with the elements of comedy is accompanied by how the actors themselves enjoy their theatrical experience, embellishing every word with gestures, grimaces, various improvisational comments and spontaneous movements. The naked bodies of the nocturnal swimmers indirectly refer to the restrictions on naked viewing in the performances of Epidaurus, as well as to the long-awaited release from the burden of social pretense, this so comical, but so surreal “Night of Epidaurus”.

With the start of the summer variety show season, Karathanos’ performance could be an interesting stage prelude…

Ms. Rhea Grigoriou holds a PhD in History and Drama from AUTH and is Professor of Greek Culture at EAP.