More performances coming to Rialto this May

Next month will bring even more theatre, live music and dance performances to the heart of the old town of Limassol. Starting off the month on May 6 is a play in Greek that has received roaring reviews and had sold-out shows in Nicosia. Out of Necessity goes in search of identity, beginning its journey at the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus and the Doctrine of Necessity. After its performance in Limassol, the play by the Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble will return to Nicosia.

Next on Rialto’s agenda is a dance-theatre performance by Omada Pente titled Grey. The performance looks at the gloomy, current times where multiple questions and uncertainties are being raised. “The fog generates an atmosphere that blurs and distorts both our vision and perception,” says Omada Pente, “symbolising a psychological uncertainty. It prevents us from seeing clearly. It is that disturbing confusion that one must experience before reaching clarity.” The performance on May 8 with seven dancers is a kind of grey area between reality and non-reality.

May 12’s event returns to the love of music, from classical pieces to modern melodies. Russian pianist Tatiana Stupak and Italian cellist Fabio Cavaggion will perform a variety of well-known classical and modern works. Their classical repertoire will present works by Gounod/Bach, Albinoni/Giazotto, Piazzolla and Saint-Saëns, whereas their modern repertoire will include works such as Ed Sheeran’s Perfect.

Then it will be time for theatre again on May 13 and 14 as writing duo Reppas-Papathanasiou bring the hilarious comedy Raus to Rialto. Directed by Panagiotis Larkou and performed in Greek, the play is about a clerk working at the Ministry of Transport, his wife and a nurse who are all heirs of a neoclassical building in the city centre of Athens. When they visit the building to meet the tenants, they realise that the house, which had once hosted Angelos Sikelianos, now operates as a brothel.

Another play in Greek will take to the stage on May 16. Written by Marianna Pafiti, Dystopia:Inferno is part of the Dystopia trilogy, portraying the relationship of a disabled woman with her caregiver. Partly experiential, the text investigates the limits of the human psyche when being confined to the wheelchair is imperative and inescapable.

The script has been recorded, since the disability of the actress does not allow her to memorise a lengthy text. On stage, taking the form of a play within a play, a sign language translator interprets it in the sign language.

May 20 is reserved for the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra as it performs its spring concert Spirit of Romanticism. Conducted by the renowned German maestro Wolfram Christ, this programme features music by romantic composers of Central Europe, bursting with emotion and drama.

A solo dance performance by En Drasi will follow on May 22 and 23 examining the tensions created between what we consider good for ourselves and our bodies, based on our personal needs and desires, and what society imposes and dictates to us. The performance combines personal confession with humour and movement to guide us through a physical and emotional journey that speaks to our current times.

Towards the end of the month, the Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble will return with its adaptation of Sam Steiner’s debut play Lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons. The play takes place in an era where social media haunts our lives. An allegorical story of a couple that is trying to get to know, communicate with and understand each other, it presents a dystopian condition, alarmingly reminiscent of the current times, a condition with questionable policies and increasingly censored thoughts. Highlighting the power of language, the play explores the importance of communication within human relationships.

May will conclude with an out-of-the-ordinary concert. Cypriot Music Revisited is a musical dialogue between Quintus Ensemble and ChamberFusion Quintet, traversing a journey across the traditional music of Cyprus. With arrangements by Neoklis Neofytides, performed by classical wind and string soloists, the concert brings to Rialto’s stage two outstanding ensembles performing wind and string sounds that encompass the island’s rich traditional music.

May events at Rialto

Music concerts, plays and dance performances. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. All throughout May. www.rialto.com.cy. Tel:7777-7745