Woe from Wit — Alexander Griboyedov

Kykladon Street Theatre — Lefteris Vogiatzis

First performance: November 6, 2021

Produced by Lykofos Productions

Alexander Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit”, directed by Stathis Livathinos, features a 13-member company consisting of both established and upcoming actors, as well as a new, metrical translation by Elsa Andrianou. This essential text was first staged by Lefteris Vogiatzes in 1986 and has never been presented in Greece since.

Stathis Livathinos’ highly contemporary approach to this Russian comedy classic attempts to highlight its inescapable correlations with the modern day, prompting a conversation between Griboyedov’s incisive take on early 19th century Russia and the motifs of classic European comedy, resulting in the emergence of merciless criticism and bitter disillusionment.

The thwarted return and the brutal takedown of a brilliant Renaissance Man who steadfastly refuses to adapt to a society that deifies mediocrity, the head-on collision between a true ideological stance and the state of perpetual adaptability that ensures success, the absence of inspiring political action at a time when innovation is desperately needed, the impact of the all-too-real demands of survival on a seemingly serene culture, the ways in which time inevitably corrodes everything, and the betrayals that turn relationships into meaningless conventions are only a few of the reoccurring themes identified in both our chaotic present and in the society targeted by Griboyedov’s sharp satirical gaze.

The performance marks the return of Stathis Livathinos to independent theatre, as it is his first directorial work following his tenure as the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Greece.