The Last Asprokorakas by the distinguished director, playwright, and theatre theorist Alexis Solomos premieres at the National Theatre under the direction of Elena Mavridou on November 27 at Theatro Horos. A deeply sarcastic comedy, a landmark work on the hypocrisy of the upper-class elite and the Greek “holy family,” comes to life on stage in a completely subversive version. Times of crisis arrive and… do not pass. When we wonder if we have lost all certainties, something important seems to remain: love. Or maybe not?

The Asprokorakas family, the last members of a prominent Greek bourgeois family with distinguished achievements, gather for a family council around the imposing statue of the late Efstathios Asprokorakas, the biologist who dedicated his life to discovering the five-legged fly “Asprokorakas.” The family council assigns the son, Nikiforos Asprokorakas, to continue the research to locate the rare insect. Alas! Nikiforos refuses because he is in love with Rosa, a young woman working nights at a morally questionable club. On one side, a strict household, and on the other, a place full of music and dance. Who will prevail? Love or duty?

Humans hunger for the lives we do not have, for glorious moments that make us feel important. The Asprokorakas, hungry to preserve their bourgeois name, create an entirely fictional image of themselves, acting “predatorily” toward love and affection, against all feelings. The surname “Asprokorakas” reveals the family’s belief that they are different, superior to others, in a world of ordinary black crows.

Alexis Solomos wrote the comedy The Last Asprokorakas in 1943 at the request of Karolos Koun, who directed it a year later at the Theatre of Art. We are at the end of the Occupation, a time of oppression and “predatory behavior.” What does all this remind us of? Eighty-one years later, The Last Asprokorakas comes to life at the National Theatre in an allegorical performance, delightfully humorous yet sharply critical of the timeless, undefeated “predatory” nature of humanity. Yet, even amid cruelty and harshness, when a ray of light pierces the darkness, hope has no choice. It will be reborn.

As part of the Tribute to Modern Greek Drama.

About Alexis Solomos

Alexis Solomos (1918–2012) was born in Athens in 1918. He revitalized Greek theatre through his multifaceted work as a director, teacher, translator, theorist, and researcher, and also as director of artistic institutions. His career was closely linked to the National Theatre, where he directed over 100 productions and twice served as artistic director: first from 1980–1982 and later from 1991–1992. In 1997, Solomos was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Department of Theatre Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.