Athens Concert Hall
Directed by Giannis Houvardas, the latest production of John Gabriel Borkman, the second-to-last play by the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, comes at the Athens Concert Hall, at Alexandra Trianti Hall. Ibsen’s penultimate play paints a devastating picture of selfish ambition. It is a towering masterpiece of analytical drama, a story of massive selfishness in which Ibsen describes the power of greed to wreck lives and contribute to one’s downfall.
Ibsen, born into an affluent merchant family who lost everything when he was around 7 years old, masterfully explores the role and status of women in society, the promises of liberalism, the moral conflicts and dilemmas that occur as a result of financial disaster, as well as the concept of social mechanisms. It is a work where Ibsen introduces themes such as the constant desire for accumulating money and power and the cost of individualism to the greater community. It is an eloquent demonstration of the downfall that results from our inability to let go of personal desires.
With a career spanning more than 45 years, Giannis Houvardas directs Ibsen for the third time and chooses Nikos Hatzopoulos, Reni Pittaki, and Lydia Photopoulou to portray the demanding lead roles.