Aristophanes in London

Aristophanes "arrives" in London. Throughout June three of the plays of the Ancient Greek playwright are going to be featured in theatres around London.

Starting on the 4th of June, Theatro Technis in Camden will be presenting "Women in Parliament" for two weeks, until the 15th of June. Translated by George Theodorides and directed by George Eugeniou, this play is one on of Aristophanes' most biting comedies, mercilessly satirising the state of affairs in ancient Athens. Using hyperbole and irony Aristophanes puts forward a demand for a fairer and more humane political reality, a notion that reverberates through the centuries down to the present day.

Meanwhile, at Jermyn Street Theatre, a new play called “Socrates and His Clouds” will be performed from the 4th until the 22nd of June. The play, written by award-winning playwright William Lyons, is directly inspired by Aristophanes’ play “The Clouds”. The play approaches the same themes as the original but does so through a rather innovative combination of “cartoon-strip comedy and show-stopping song and dance!” [sic].The play, directed by Melina Theocaridou, is brought to the stage by a team of young, emerging Greek-Cypriot and Greek theatre makers and seeks to create a cultural dialogue between the ancient Greek heritage and the current state of affairs in Europe.

Finally, for the first time in London, Aristophanes’ “Wealth” will be performed at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield. Performances will take place from Wednesday the 26th of June until Saturday the 29th of June. Directed by Manos Tsoutras and produced by Vasilis Panayis & Manos this play is quite possibly the most topical of all Aristophanes works, given the realities Europe is currently facing.