The General Secretary

The Cyprus Theatre Organisation presents "The General Secretary" of Elias Kapetanakis, one of the most important examples of modern Greek drama.

Lambros, an illiterate but wealthy provincial, is looking to support a local member of parliament in order to acquire a job in the public service that will secure him ticket to a life of distinction in the capital. His main supporter in pursuit of this ambition is his spoilt wife, Penelope, who also foresees a great post for her husband. And while he tries to gain a foothold in the mechanisms of state patronage, she aspires to glide through the salons of the aristocracy. He also has the strong support of his entire family, which is already prepared to leave the province.

Director Vassilis Nikolaides notes: "How can a work written at the end of the 19th century and following the fashions of the time be presented and remain relevant to a contemporary audience in 2016? A work that is definitive and a socio-political musical satire about everything that was wrong in a Greece on the threshold of the 20th century?"

But, the value of a play like The General Secretary lies exactly in the depth of its characters and situations. It is found in the irony with which the writer “views” his time and the way he criticizes the Greeks of “yesterday” which are also unfortunately the Greeks of “today”. We will let ourselves be transported by the charm of The General Secretary, rediscover the author’s incisiveness and watch again the adventures of Lambros Thymelis, the central character and his family through the music hall, a parody of an opera, a satire of romanticism, a revue, musical comedy, silent movies, so that the obsessions with all things foreign, megalomania, and the nouveau riche - problems which always and particularly now, continue to affect us, emerge clearly. We will unfortunately come to realize that it is almost as if Kapetanakis wrote The General Secretary yesterday…”

The General Secretary is one of the most important examples of modern Greek drama and has been staged at THOC before, under the direction of Nicos Charalambous in 1981.

Adaptation/Direction: Vassilis Nikolaides

Set-Costume Design: Stavros Antonopoulos

Music-Musician on Stage: Savvas Savva

Choreography/Movement: Efi Karacosta

Lighting Design: Georgios Koukoumas

Sound Design: Giorgos Christofi

Cast: Nayia Anastasiadou, Chrysi Andreou, Photis Georgides, Marylia Yiallouridou, Despina Yiannopoulou, Petros Giorkatzis, Acilleas Grammatikopoulos, Elena Efstathiou, Loukas Zikos, Sofia Iakovou, Costas Kazakas, Harris Kkollos, Zoi Kyprianou, Pantelitsa Loizou, Yiannis Minos, Michalis Moustakas, Elena Pavlidou, Chrystalla Skordou, Harris Sozos, Giorgos Tatsis, Ioulios Tziatis, Areti Tili, Androniki Xadjichristodoulou

Tickets: € 12 / 6

(in Greek)