Andreas Staikos features Hermione—daughter of Menelaus and Helen of Troy as the central heroine of the myth for the first time, since until now we have known her as a secondary character in the Trojan War.

Through a comedic lens, the familiar mythical heroes embark on a journey, playing and mocking themselves and their fate. Menelaus becomes Takis, while Hermione and Chrysothemis satisfy their fleeting quests and desires in beach bars. A timeless look at the myth of the continuity of Hellenism. A game without limits that ends with the end of life.

The role of Nikos Xydakis’s music is the fifth and most catalytic protagonist. In a play set on a golden sandy beach, a beach in Laconia bathed in the midday sun and the atmospheric light of the full moon, in a play brimming with love, Nikos Xydakis’s music evokes the vastness of the sea and the night, elements fundamental to “Hermione.” The songs of the performance are performed a cappella by the actors under the musical direction of the composer.

“Heroes and ghosts of heroes, episodes and reflections of episodes from the battlefield and, above all, from the backstage of the Trojan War, an ideal setting for the pursuit of theatricality. The most primitive as well as contemporary aspects of theatricality coexist to highlight the individual elements of this theatricality (disguises, transformations, reversals, surprises, etc.), contributing to the genesis of play, a necessary condition of theater, life, and history.”

Andreas Staikos