National Theater’s center stage reopens

Company presents Bernard-Marie Koltes’s ‘Roberto Zucco’

Though only partially open, the renovated central building of the Greek National Theater is back in action. Illuminated and thoroughly revamped, Ernst Ziller’s building stands proud once again.

At the Nikos Kourkoulos New Theater, the company recently staged the premiere of “Roberto Zucco,” a play by Bernard-Marie Koltes, directed by Effie Theodorou.

A study on violence, the play is composed of 15 scenes, all ripe with sarcasm, tenderness and despair. The play takes its cue from the true story of serial killer Roberto Succo and shows the French playwright at his finest – Koltes died at the age of 41 in 1989.

In 1981, Succo stabbed his mother and strangled his father after they refused to lend him their car. He was caught and spent 10 years in a psychiatric prison, from where he escaped and went on to commit a series of crimes in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Based on a translation by Dimitris Dimitriadis, set and costumes by Eva Manidaki, music by Nikos Platanos and lighting by Sakis Birbilis, the cast includes Yiannis Anastassakis, Michalis Afolayan, Yiannis Vogiatzis, Efthimis Theou, Giorgos Kozobolis, Panayiotis Larkou, Paris Lykos, Electra Nikolouzou, Dimitris Daskas, Agoritsa Economou, Makis Papadimitriou, Erato Pissi, Maria Protopappa, Sofia Seirli, Yiannos Perlengas, Michalis Titopoulos and Elena Topalidou.

A new premiere is scheduled to follow on December 21, with Joakim Pirinen’s comedy “The Good Family.” Directed by Dimitris Lignadis, the play stars Minas Hatzisavvas, Marina Psalti, Alexandra Aidini and Nikos Poursanidis. A Swedish playwright, illustrator and comics author, Pirinen makes a scathing comment on society’s ideal model, a world in which people are happy, the sun is shining, the food is exquisite and washing the dishes is an enjoyable activity.

Greek National Theater, Nikos Kourkoulos New Theater, 22-24 Aghiou Constantinou, tel 210.330.5074.