Νύχτα Εκδίκησης - A Night of Revenge - Review of Greek Community of Toronto Production

Whodunnit?
That is the question and I plan to answer it fully.
I am referring to Νύχτα Εκδίκησης (A Night of Revenge) a new murder-mystery by Gregory Terzakis. It was produced by the Greek Community of Toronto and Irida Art Group and played from May 13 to 15, 2022 at the Todmorden Mills Centre in Toronto. The play is a classic murder-mystery that presents 8 people, supposedly strangers to each other, that are locked and isolated in a mansion. With not even a Wi-Fi signal.
The rich host who invited them has a name but no one has met him and the guests start digging into the circumstances of their invitation, their presence and their possible fate. The tensions and the suspense begin rising. We all become detectives and try to outguess the characters on the stage and of course find the ultimate answer to whodunnit.
Here are a few facts that can start you guessing. We have Mariza (Georgia Tasouli), an innocent server who was hired to look after the guests Her recruitment like all communications between the guests and the inviter are by text message. No one has spoken to him. Mariza is polite and efficient but is there more to her than being just a server?
There is Monia (Alba Feinaj), a journalist who has written some stories that may be of some interest but she has no idea what she is doing at the mansion and why she was invited.
Dr. Panos Mazias (Dimitrios-Ektoras Pasopoulos) is a loud, short-tempered and aggressive individual who is a “person of interest” for the audience. We keep an eye on him because we don’t like him and for no other reason.
Thomas (Panagiotis Apatsidis) is a middle-aged gambler and we put him on our suspects list before we know anything about the plot.
Madam Cassandra (Ioanna Molla Apatsidou) is a businesswoman of a certain age and unknown moral standards. I mistrusted her from the start.
Then we meet Markos Grezos (Dimitris “Jim” Kambasos), a loan shark with a diabolical laugh who cannot be up to anything but evil.
There is the self-assured, attractive and mysterious Vana, (Antonia Kokkorou), a recently qualified lawyer. Have you met anyone who trusts lawyers?
And finally, there is Maleskos, the Private Detective, former Inspector and calm thinker of the group played by the author and director, Greg Terzakis. He watches carefully and tries to solve the riddles of the situation. He starts with figuring out the name of the inviter T. I. Morro which, read carefully by a Greek speaker may convey a message.
You didn’t expect me to reveal the plot, did you?
More clues. The guests have been assigned rooms in the mansion and every room is named after one of the Seven Deadly Sins. You have probably forgotten them but I provide them for your assistance in assigning them to the guests: 1. Gluttony. 2. Lust. 3. Avarice. 4. Despair. 5. Wrath. 6. Sloth. 7. Pride.
Terzakis has taken a text-book situation and managed to write an amazingly suspenseful and entertaining play. The audience appeared enthralled by the action and they reacted to plot twists with marvelous speed and fervor. Terzakis directs the play as well and he chooses some of the background music that is played at key moments such as excerpts from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Nessun Dorma from Tosca – the riddles, you know.
The actors are all amateurs but they achieve high acting standards. If I may get picky, I could mention a few quibbles: Dr. Mazias – some vocal modulation, please. Monia – slow down just a bit. Lawyer Vana – a bit more enunciation.
The Greek Community of Toronto has gone through some tough times recently and I am not referring to COVID-19 alone. The production of A Night of Revenge is a big step in the direction of recovery as a civil community with churches.
Νύχτα Εκδίκησης (A Night of Revenge) by Greg Terzakis was performed in May 13-15, 2022 at the Papermill Theatre in the Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, 67 Pottery Road, Toronto, Ontario. www.greekcommunity.org