Οedipus Rex
by Sophocles

Supplicants are flocking to the palace of Thebes to beg King Oedipus to come to the people’s aid. A plague has ravaged the city and decimated its population; extremely concerned, the King has requested advice from the Oracle at Delphi. Apollo foresees that there will be no respite until the person responsible for the death of King Laius is found and expelled from the city. Oedipus begins his investigation and the deeper he probes, the closer he gets to the truth: the same man who saved Thebes from the Sphinx has now polluted it with his deeds. An old prophesy has come to pass. However hard Oedipus strove to escape his fate, his every action carried him towards it. Now the only route left open to him is exile.

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, perhaps the most emblematic ancient drama of them all, is part of the Theban cycle. According to the sources, it was first performed in 428 BC during the Peloponnesian War when the plague had carried off much of the Athenian populace. The work focuses on the individual in relation to their personal freedom, power, society and divine will.

In the context of its drive to collaborate with theatres both in Greece and abroad, the National Theatre of Greece has joined forces for the first time with the celebrated Vakhtangov Theatre to stage a production of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex directed by Rimas Touminas. This fine co-production features both Greek and Russian actors with Viktor Dobronravov in the lead role.

The dramaturgical processing was undertaken by Elsa Andrianou, while the original music was written by Thodoris Abazis. The play will also be staged in Moscow this coming September.


In Russian and Greek. With Greek and English surtitles.