The Frogs by Aristophanes comes to the stage of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens for one night only in August, following its acclaimed summer performance at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus.
Aristophanes attempts a phantasmagorical descent to the underworld. Much like Odysseus, he seeks a path to his utopian Ithaca. Athens is going through a deep political and spiritual crisis, a crisis of institutions and values. In the arid and ominous reality of the city, Dionysus, father and initiator of the theatre, begins the journey to the Underworld to bring back the seed of rebirth and poetry in order to save the collapsing world.
The grand stage of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus will host The Frogs by Aristophanes. Photograph: Why Athens
From the cracks of the play’s senseless comedy, the weaknesses of the living and the dead emerge and the foul waters of reality are shaken. With a vision of the great idea of saving the world, the descent of Dionysus into Hades becomes at the same time a descent for the mechanism of theatre itself. In the footsteps of Dionysus, guided by the wonderful Aristophanic expressionism.
Directed by Effie Birba.
ABOUT THE VENUE
The spectacular open-air theatre of the Odeon Herodes Atticus provides a magical setting beneath the slopes of the Acropolis. The marble auditorium seats 4680 people and has hosted legendary performances by Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas and Luciano Pavarotti to name a few.
Find more events on in Athens.
