Disney and more at Nicosia International Festival

With the arrival of November, the Nicosia International Festival enters its fifth week, with classical music, a Cypriot band’s debut album and a special concert celebrating the 100 years of Disney.

Coming up on Friday evening at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre is a Greek adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden. In celebration of the Spanish Presidency of the European Council, ETHAL pays tribute to the Spanish poet by presenting the famous play written in 1929. Under the direction of ETHAL’s Artistic Director Achilleas Grammatikopoulos, the play is a homage to love which balances lyricism and the grotesque.

Then on November 6, Theatre ROI will present the Cyprus premiere of their latest production, shortly after its performances at the Istanbul International Theatre Festival. The newly-formed theatre group from Larnaca, where Turkish Cypriot director and actor Derman Atiks meet the acclaimed Turkish award-winner novelist and playwright Aziz Nesin (1916-1995) to bring to life a comedy he wrote in 1970, Come on and Kill Me, My Dear…

Nesin, a satirical writer and committed political activist, is internationally acclaimed, and one of Turkey’s most prominent literary figures and was first introduced to Cypriot audiences through his play The Beast of the Bull, a production by the Cyprus Theatre Organisation (1979) at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre.

A few days later, a sister duo will take the Theatre’s stage. The AG Leventis Foundation, the Embassy of France, the French Institute and the Municipal Leventis Museum present two musicians in a unique concert. Camille and Julie Berthollet are set to perform on November 10 in a concert with a charitable cause as part of the proceeds will be donated to the Makarios Hospital.

On the following evening, the Greek composer who inaugurated the 1^st Nicosia International Festival back on October 13, 2019, Stamatis Spanoudakis, returns to the theatre for two concerts. Joining him on stage for the concerts on November 11 and 12 is clarinet player Vasilis Saleas, who will join forces with the composer after 28 years.

The next event will entice audiences as young as two years old. On November 25 and 26, the festival will present a concert that is part of the official celebrations of Disney’s 100th anniversary. One hundred years of magic with songs and musical themes from Disney’s most beloved films will brought to life on the stage by an orchestra of 56 musicians and major West End singers.

The concert is an audio-visual experience with a backdrop of films that taught young and old alike to dream, including Alladin, Lion King, Little Mermaid, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Encanto, and many more. Directed by Dimitris Malissovas, the concert will include performances by Ben Forster (The Phantom of the Opera), Louise Dearman (Wicked), Rachel John (Hamilton), Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Andrian Hansel (Guys and Dolls) and Nadia Boule as both the presenter and one of the performers.

Wrapping up the month is a concert on November 27 by a local music collective born in Nicosia’s buffer zone. Brought together by Home of Cooperation and the United by Sound programme’s creative director Lefteris Moumtzis, the collective serves as a medium of musical self-discovery and experimentation, drawing from each member’s own musical path and career.

Island Seeds will bring their eagerly awaited debut album Beginnings to the Nicosia International Festival. Beginnings is a musical journey that started with their first single Stray Cat, a humorous take on the adventures of a stray cat in Nicosia’s buffer zone, incorporating names, streets and buildings from the band’s birthplace.

The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden

Federico García Lorca’s play, by ETHAL. November 3. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. In Greek. www.soldoutticketbox.com

Come On and Kill Me, My Dear…

Aziz Nesin play presented by ROI Theatre. November 6. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. In Greek. www.soldoutticketbox.com

Camille and Julie Berthollet

Sisters and musicians perform live. November 10. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. www.soldoutticketbox.com

Stamatis Spanoudakis

Concert by Greek composer. November 11-12. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. www.soldoutticketbox.com

100 Years of Disney

Concerts with West End stars to celebrate Disney’s 100^th anniversary. November 25 (8pm) and 26 (6.30pm). Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. www.soldoutticketbox.com

Island Seeds

Local band presents debut album. November 27. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. www.soldoutticketbox.com