Two new productions in Greek will soon arrive on the island’s theatre scene as the Cyprus Theatre Organisation and its New Stage present new shows. In early January, the comedy The Gamblers will begin, presenting Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s play, directed by Maria Varnakkidou.

From January 7 until mid March, the play will tour the island. Though it is in Greek, three performances will include overtitles in Greek, English or Turkish to welcome a wider audience. January 22’s performance in Nicosia will include overtitles in English and Turkish while January 27 will include Greek overtitles. February 15’s show in Limassol will again feature English and Turkish overtitles.

The play begins with a night in a provincial Russian town when an experienced gambler and notorious cheat arrives at an inn, looking for his next victim. There, he encounters over-eager employees and a group of fellow card sharps who persuade him to join them. Unfortunately for him, however, he will end up the loser in a game of deception in which it is impossible to tell a fraudster from an honest dealer.

Gogol’s comedy was written between 1832 and 1837, published in 1842, and first staged, albeit in a censored version, in 1843. As the writer satirically uncovers the dark corners of the human soul, everything is a frenetic game of masks and disguises, in which the lines between truth and falsehood, honour and infamy, and sincerity and hypocrisy are blurred and indistinct. Varnakkidou enters into its satirical spirit, identifying truths that resonate to this day and highlighting the decay that lies at the heart of the human condition.

On Thoc’s Main Stage, Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will be staged in Greek from January 13 onwards. In theatres until March 5, the play is a story through which Tennessee Williams exposes the harshness of social convention and the pain of battered emotions. Lies and hypocrisy, the fragility of family relations, and the impracticality of love are highlighted throughout the play. Director Paris Erotokritou brings his own unique perspective to this rich dramatic material, assisted by an impressive cast and creative team.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of Williams’ most famous and popular plays. First published in 1955, it premiered in March of the same year at the Morosco Theatre in New York in a production directed by Elia Kazan, winning Williams the Drama Critics Circle Award and a second Pulitzer Prize. A few years later, it was adapted into a successful film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.

One sultry summer afternoon in the American South, the well-off Pollitt family gathered to celebrate the 65th birthday of the dying patriarch, Big Daddy. The elder son, Gooper, and his wife, Mae, plan to lay claim to Big Daddy’s estate, depriving the younger son, Brick, and his wife, Maggie, of their share. Brick and Maggie’s marriage is on the rocks. Brick, a former footballer, is in a state of physical, mental and emotional decline that is worsening day by day. While he attempts to drown his pain in alcohol, the dynamic Maggie fights passionately to escape the misery and darkness. Amidst a fraught atmosphere and intensifying conflict, the edifice of the family begins to crumble.

The Gamblers

Adaptation of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s play, directed by Maria Varnakkidou. From January 7, every Friday, Saturday (8.30pm) and Sunday (6pm) until March 19. New Stage THOK, Nicosia. February 1. G. Lycourgos Theatre, Larnaca. February 8. Markideio Theatre, Paphos. February 15. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. In Greek. €12. www.thoc.org.cy. Tel: 7777-2717

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play, directed by Paris Erotokritou. January 13-March 5. Every Friday and Saturday (8.30pm) and Sunday (6pm). In Greek. €12. www.thoc.org.cy. Tel: 7777-2717