Greeks – wearing cloth face-masks rather than painted tragic ones – flocked to an ancient amphitheatre for a much-needed injection of drama From 1843mag
, is the best-preserved in all of Greece. It lies in a verdant valley in the southern Peloponnese and its architectural proportions are so precisely calibrated that a spectator seated at the theatre’s highest point can clearly hear the scrunch of a plastic water bottle on the circular stage 34 rows below. Beyond the pine trees behind the orchestra lie the sun-scorched ruins of temples, baths and banqueting halls that once made up the sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of medicine.
The plot of hubristic ambition followed by a humiliating downfall is a simple one and the play, historically, has been open to interpretation. One notorious staging by Peter Sellars in Los Angeles in 1993 was set against the backdrop of the Gulf war. Audience members walked out. This year, spectators had the pandemic on their mind.
In Lignadis’s production, when Xerxes returns shamefaced and without an army, the chorus backs away, declining to join him in mourning, as happens in many traditional stagings of the play. “The shame he brings with him makes him almost like the virus itself,” said Argyris Xafis, the actor who plays the king, after the show.
The outdoor tradition in Greece has enabled performance to return here at a scale inconceivable in the rest of Europe. But the country’s decisive handling of the virus has also helped encourage people back to the theatre. An early lockdown meant Greece has recorded only 203 deaths to date, far fewer than its Mediterranean neighbours. However, as a second wave in Europe looks increasingly likely, epidemiologists are warning of an uptick in infections now that the borders are open to tourists.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are officially Greek citizensTom Hanks and Rita Wilson have a special reason to celebrate this week: they're both officially Greek citizens.
Weiterlesen »
Hot Property |'Purge' producer elects to sell L.A. penthouseJason Blum of 'Get Out' and 'Purge' films has listed his downtown L.A. penthouse. Also: Former BET chief Debra Lee has listed her home in the 90210.
Weiterlesen »
Hot Property: 'Purge' producer elects to sell L.A. penthouseJason Blum of 'Get Out' and 'Purge' films has listed his downtown L.A. penthouse. Also: Former BET chief Debra Lee has listed her home in the 90210.
Weiterlesen »
Turkey and Greece avoid coming to blows, for nowTurkey has long refused to recognise the economic zones around the Greek islands hugging its shores
Weiterlesen »
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are officially Greek citizensTom Hanks and Rita Wilson have a special reason to celebrate this week: they're both officially Greek citizens.
Weiterlesen »
8 dead and at least 19 wounded in weekend Chicago shootingsCHICAGO (AP) — Gun violence continued to plague Chicago, with eight people killed, including a 9-year-old boy, and at least 19 other people wounded so far this weekend, police said Sunday....
Weiterlesen »