Theater Night Out 10 : Persians at Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Summer season in Greece means open theaters. And most of them are ancient ones like the Odeon Of Herodes Atticus or as we call it Herodeon.

The building was completed in 161 AD and during the summer it hosts a plethora of cultural events like concerts, operas and theater plays.

It is a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens literally in the center of the city.

Very well preserved and you can have a beautiful view of Athens.

I chose to see Persians by Aeschylus, which is the oldest known ancient Greek drama and the only one based on historical facts.

The Persians takes place in Susa, which at the time was one of the capitals of the Persian Empire, and opens with a chorus of old men of Susa, who are soon joined by the Queen Mother, Atossa, as they await news of her son King Xerxes' expedition against the Greeks.

We all know that this expedition didn’t go well for the Persians as they we defeated in the battle of Salamina. An exhausted messenger arrives, who offers a graphic description of the Battle of Salamina and its gory outcome. He tells of the Persian defeat, the names of the Persian generals who have been killed, and that Xerxes had escaped and is returning.

Lament breaks out and at the tomb of her dead husband Darius, Atossa asks the chorus to summon his ghost. On learning of the Persian defeat, Darius condemns the hubris behind his son’s decision to invade Greece. He particularly rebukes an impious Xerxes’ decision to build a bridge over the Hellespondus to expedite the Persian army’s advance.

Xerxes finally arrives, dressed in torn robes and reeling from his crushing defeat and laments the enormity of Persia’s defeat.

Persians is an anti-war play. Aeschylus stresses out Xerxe’s arrogance that was punished by the Gods. His army was crushed, very few escaped with their lives and now Persian women lament for their husbands and sons.

The message is loud and clear. No matter how powerful you are if you become cocky, you are bound to suffer defeat and humiliation. Same goes for Persians , Athenians and all the great empires of our time.

The show was brilliant. It was a production of the Theater Organization of Cyprus that starred both Green and Cyprian actors. Direction was from Aris Biniaris a young and talented director with a unique artistic perspective.

Queen Atossa was played by Karyofillia Karabeti one of the best Greek female actresses. Her performance was amazing. Messenger was played by Charis Charalambous , Darious was played by Nikos Psaras and Xerxes by Antonis Myriagkou. Music was performed live and they were two instruments drums and tzoura a string instrument like a small guitar. Music and chorus were blend perfectly and added to the mystique of the play.

All in all it was one of the best presentations of ancient drama that I have ever seen. I think they are touring Greece, so if it comes to a theater near you, I strongly recommend it.

And if you visit Greece I recommend that you visit Herodeon. This ancient theater has a magical atmosphere that it is very difficult to describe. And as you can see from the photos there are English subtitles.

That was from me.

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Would you recommend it? – YES
Would you see it again? – YES

And until the next Theatre Night Out …
Be Healthy, Smile and Steem.