Howdy everyone! I will be taking the RS Sicily Tour in May. In doing some reading about Sicily, I find that the first of two evenings that the group will spend in Syracuse also happens to be the opening night of the annual theater season at the ancient Greek theater. The performance will be Agamemnon by Aeschylus, in Italian, beginning before sunset and going into the evening. The reviews that I have read seem to indicate that during the theater season, daytime visitors to the theater are often disappointed since there is so much plywood covering things to make them safe for the crowd, but that to actually experience an ancient Greek play in this Ancient Greek theater is a really special opportunity. Of course the RS Tour is scheduled to take a tour of the Ortygia island section of old Syracuse at the same time as the performance, and then to visit the Greek theater and nearby area the next morning. My question is this: have any of you attended a performance in this theater, and if so, is it so special to merit skipping the tour activities, and of course buy a relatively pricey theater ticket in advance, as it appears that tickets are still available on line but will sell out well before I am in Sicily.
Grazie all!
Posted by
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
Is the tour going to Taormina? IMHO, the Greek Theatre in Taormina, with the beautiful Med. Sea in the background, though smaller is also very, very beautiful. I've been to Taormina twice, Syracuse once, but have never had the opportunity to see an actual performance in either. If you are getting to see the Theatre in Taormina without scaffolding, I'd say, go ahead and fulfill a dream and see the performance in Syracuse.
Posted by
OP
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
Yes, Donna, we will actually be at the Greek theater in Taormina the day before. I can't really say that seeing a performance of Agamemnon would be fulfilling a dream, I had never even heard of the possibility until I read about it last evening. Maybe fulfilling an interesting coincidence of schedule and new idea would be more accurate. I hesitate because it would probably mean missing the tours of both parts of Syracuse, which I would enjoy and have paid for, in order to attend the performance (at extra cost) and then explore Syracuse on my own both days. I guess I can't lose either way, nice choice to have. If a few people chime in here to say that attending a performance has been an incredibly memorable experience for them, that would certainly sway me!
Posted by
Reston, VA, USA
810 posts
Larry, my daughter and I spent 5 days in Siracusa last May; we went to a play and later toured the Greek theater and archeological park. We are big theater buffs and she is majoring in Ancient Greek so for us it was a must-do. From what you say, I would stick with the RS tour and skip the play. The productions are interesting but sometimes a bit odd [we saw Oedipus the King, and there was a lot more Sphinx than in the original play], and Ortigia is really fun; you will enjoy wandering through it with the tour. Also, I don't remember a lot of plywood when we came back to the theater to tour so I don't think that will spoil your experience.
I have a few recommendations if you have spare time in Ortigia - PM me if you'd like more info.