Greek stage star in Cyprus for Kypria performance

Satiriko Theatre brings an emotional play to Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca as Martin Sherman’s play Rose is reintroduced. This moving play directed by Nikos Karageorgos and translated by Mimi Denisi gives the renowned Greek actress Despoina Bebedeli the opportunity for an extraordinary performance, assuming the role of an 80-year-old Jew who narrates the tale of her life, unravelling her past. She recounts with tenderness, emotion, but also humοur, events that marked the world around her and her inner self.

The performances on September 24-26, 27 and 28 in Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca respectively, recall her years of adolescence in Ukraine, crossing to Poland just before the start of the Second World War, the Holocaust, the flight to the USA and her new life. A life that spans decades and many social changes.

The play is set at the end of the past century and the beginning of the 21st when a woman around 80 holds the ritual of Shiva for a person whose identity is held hidden until the end of the play. Shiva in Hebrew denotes the overnight lamentation for the dead. Throughout this evening she remembers – at times with striking emotion, at others with an incredible sense of humour – her turbulent life, the uprooting from her homeland, her love stories, her family and her offspring.

As she traces her memory, audiences are allowed a glimpse into important historical events that she lived through, many times overwhelming her but never breaking her. Instead, she gained a unique perspective and a mode of thinking that centred around the value of life, and the sense of justice that characterises great people; people who through pain become human and through fear become brave while facing contemporary times devoid of any purpose.

Rose

Play by Martin Sherman, directed by Nikos Karageorgos with actress Despoina Bebedeli in the lead. September 24, 25,26. Satiriko Theatre, Nicosia. September 27. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. September 28. George Lykourgos Larnaca Municipal Theatre, Larnaca. 8.30pm. €15. €10 reduced and €8 performances for children. Tickets can be purchased through ACS COURIER offices all over Cyprus and online at www.tickethour.com. Tel: 7777-7040