Theatro Technis was founded in 1957 by George Eugeniou, a Cypriot actor who came to London to study drama. It has a long and strong history of creatively supporting local working class and immigrant communities. The pioneering Eugeniou died last year, aged 93. The theatre’s new Creative Director is Kerry Kyriacos Michael, a second-generation North London Cypriot. He was previously Artistic Director & Chief Executive of Theatre Royal Stratford East. It’s a fitting tribute to the founder and a return to the theatre’s roots, that Michael would choose to launch the 2026 season by directing a new play by English/Cypriot writer, Philip de Voni.
The Ophiolite is Voni’s first full length stage play. Set in Cyprus and the UK, it looks at a family torn apart by grief and the consequences of emigration, faith and loyalty to blood and soil. Penelope (Han-Roze Adonis) is a British born, public school educated teen, whose recently deceased father has been buried in England, rather than in the family tomb in Cyprus. This posthumous move, facilitated by her British mother (Ruth Lass) is viewed as heart-wrenching treachery by his surviving family in Cyprus.
We are introduced to this grim schism via his Cypriot sister, Aristeia, grieving in the homeland. Her mourning vibes consist of spitting venom and dredging up the past, while kissing icons and burning incense. Lucy Christofi Christy nails this archetypal matriarch with nuanced precision. The vicious quips are hilarious, whether aimed at her dead brother’s wife, the British empire or anyone who has the temerity to challenge her. She is terrifying and marvellous to behold.
The opening scenes, where Aristeia is berating and baiting Xenia (Chrisanthi Livadiotis), her adoptive daughter are spoken in Greek, (with English subtitles). The mix of high drama, resentment and manipulation had me gripped from the get-go. Determined to have her brother exhumed from his British grave and buried in the homeland, Aristeia plans a bureaucratic deception, but requires the collusion of Xenia and the family solicitor, Kypros Petrides (Fanos Xenofós). The ensuing chaos in the Petrides office, as the skullduggery falls apart is theatrical gold. The family splinters and implodes as wounds are ripped open with words and bitter history.
Ruth Lass is compellingly excellent as Jennifer, Penelope’s brittle and very British mother. She is consistently dismissive of Cypriot tradition and any romance attached to it. De Voni’s sharp script is nuanced and skilled in presenting Jennifer as both an arrogant disciple of Empire, but also a libertine, trying to shake off the shackles of Church and societal expectations. The Ophiolite benefits from a dazzling comic turn from Bea Svistunenko as Natalya Sokolova, the saucy Russian secretary to the shady solicitor.
Initially judged as a gold-digging siren, she echoes the modern Russian ‘invasion’ of Cyprus, fuelled by money laundering oligarchs. Natalya turns out to be way more complex. She’s a fabulous ticking bomb that quietly explodes at the end of Act One. Like the Oracle or a Chorus, in classic Greek tragedy, she serves up truth with devastating clarity. It’s a very entertaining and jaw-dropping turn.
It’s always a joy to see new work on stage that actually has some chops. The Ophiolite doesn’t shy from the big topics. The legacy of an island divided by British Major General Peter Young in 1963 hangs over proceedings like a shroud. The infamous ‘Green Line’ remains largely invisible, until it suddenly flaps open like flayed skin and subsides again. Sam Cox gives a skilled and amusing performance as Dominic, Jennifer’s second husband and a paragon of English decency. He was equally accomplished in the marvellous Lifers at Southwark Playhouse.
If you’re a fan of the classics, geopolitical debate, philosophy and geology, The Ophiolite tickles those spots deftly, without over egging the pudding. The first act is like a barn storming soap opera. It flirts with melodrama and slapstick but keeps it smart and hugely entertaining. Act Two is a reckoning and an unravelling that maintains its grip, despite a more thoughtful and less fraught pace. The barbs are just as spiky in the second half; they are just quieter and more careworn as everyone tires of conflict. Adonis really comes alive in the second half, when Penelope lets rip on her dying mother AND her dead father. The set by Cory Shipp is beautifully sleek and minimal, though in a couple of moments, it seemed the actors could have done with a just a bit more furniture. Serving cups of tea on a tray, with no table or chairs? Risky business. Aside from that, the simplicity of the set was aesthetically jolly and let the actors and script speak for themselves.
This is a very satisfying, unpredictable and gripping piece of theatre
The Ophiolite is at Theatro Technis until 22nd February 2026, https://www.theatrotechnis.com/
Reviewer: Stewart Who?
Reviewed: 4th February 2026
North West End UK Rating: