Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
Three stars
Imagine a country ripped in two as easily as you’d
tear a piece of paper in half. Then imagine hundreds of thousands of people
displaced from their homes and forced into the other half of the country. Fast
forward a few years, and think about what might happen if some kind of
prodigals’ return ushered in an uneasy peace of sorts.
That’s only part of the complex, still unfinished history
of Cyprus, the former British colony (natch) riven by divisions between Greek
and Turkish Cypriots that have resulted in invasions, land grabs and a mess of
collateral damage. The deeply personal consequences of all this are explored
here by the Edinburgh-based Ludens Ensemble. With support by the European
Capital of Culture Pafos 2017 and the Greek arts-based Syn Festival, a
four-strong ensemble present a semi-verbatim collage of anecdote and experience
drawn from testimonies from both sides of the divide. Accompanied by live video
feed, shadowplay and a fusion of traditional and contemporary music, this makes
for an at times moving experience.
Up to now, the Ludens Ensemble have focused on making
wilfully scrappy versions of classic plays such as Ubu and Macbeth. Under the
guidance of co-directors Philippos Philippou and Vangelis Makriyannakis, the
company have here entered more meditative waters which has given their work
strength and power that stems from its raging calm.
Despite the specific locale of the events related,
given recent happenings, it couldn’t be more relevant in highlighting the human
damage caused by a territorial tribalism that demonises otherness. With plans
afoot to effectively take this home to Pafos, Ludens have created a bittersweet
dramatic elegy which the cast are clearly still emotionally bound up with in an
act of collective purging that comes from the frontline.
The Herald, May 22nd 2018
ends
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