Backgammon, based on the play by Dimitris Kechaidis

Buzz Productions Theatre Company presents an uproarious comedy in the Cypriot dialect, based on the play “Backgammon” by Dimitris Kechaidis.

A genuine comedy of character, the play was staged for the first time forty years ago by the Art Theatre with director Karolos Koun, but remains a shockingly relevant satire of today’s society of consumerism and false prosperity.

Two middle-aged men are trying to find a way out of the misery and their petty lives. Completely different in character and personality, one of them dreams to publish a book about his involvement in the resistance against German occupation, while the other prefers to resort to a more immediate and profitable solution: fraud.

One afternoon, over a game of backgammon, the two will plan the scam of the century in order to “strike it rich”, as they say. The scam is set up, blown up in the air and plotted all over again, while Kechaidis’ vibrant and hilarious dialogue paints a comical, yet tragic and prophetic picture of the modern Greek culture of “the great swindle” and “the big job”, the evolution of which we now live as a sad consequence.
The performance of the Buzz Productions Theatre, founded in Athens in 2003 by actor and director Philippos Philippou, is based on the narrative in theatre and the original use of multimedia. During the performance viewers will enjoy various drinks offered in a traditional coffee shop, such as Cypriot coffee on the embers, lemonade, orange juice, etc.

Director: Philippos Philippou
Cast: Konstantinos Tsiolis, Manolis Anastasiou
Music: Nikolas Mavreshis
Set and props, costumes, lighting design and video: the company