Phädra, in Flammen

Something is rotten about the apparent stagnation in Athens. King Theseus has grown old but he still he holds on to his power with seasoned experience. His spouse Phaedra is going through menopause and is burning up with the longing to shed the corset of rules imposed by the royal palace at long last and to finally live for her own needs. Demophon, the first-born and heir apparent, is ready – he only needs to be married. But Persea, whom Theseus chose to be his son’s wife, causes uproar in the palace because Persea and Phaedra fall in love with each other. A scandal which demands human sacrifice, according to the high priest. The necessity of change collides with the violence of tradition and the established order begins to sway – in both politics and private lives. With her reworking of the antique myth of Phaedra, Nino Haratischwili addresses questions of power politics, emancipation and political regression in her latest theatre text.