Darkness and light in ‘Easter,’ a play by August Strindberg
In a new production being staged at the Amphi-Theater, Leda Tassopoulou chose a play by August Strindberg that is fairly unknown to Greek audiences, as part of her increasingly successful efforts over the last few years to direct, in addition to acting. «Easter» unfolds during Holy Week, taking place on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The playwright is a Tassopoulou favorite. «I got to know him through a biography and was drawn to his exceptional personality,» she says. «He was a unique man, a universal man, a person involved in absolutely everything: He was a painter, a photographer, a playwright, an actor, a journalist, even an alchemist.» «Easter» is filled with autobiographical elements and, says Tassopoulou, is the only Strindberg play with a happy ending. Elis is a young scholar living with his mother and fiancee. On the one hand, he is filled with the joy of life, though he also lives in constant fear. His father is in jail for embezzlement and a creditor seeking payment plagues the family. Meanwhile, the arrival of a young woman, Eleanora, brings a ray of hope. She brings with her a rare flower, an Easter lily, which only grows in Switzerland. «She appears like an angel; her arrival shines the light which will drive darkness away,» says the director. According to Tassopoulou, the play’s prominent religious note in the end becomes a hymn to mankind. «Along with the Resurrection comes the redemption of man,» she says. At the Amphi-Theater, the cast is led by Popi Lymberopoulou, Antonis Maros, Giorgos Bougos, Costis Papaioannou, Maria Danai Sdougou and Niki Touloupaki, with sets by Agni Doutsi. Amphi-Theater. 111 Adrianou, Plaka, tel 210.323.3644.
