Lyth Arts Centre kindly invited us to a night of Greek food and theatre this week. In their Spring programme, three themed nights were scheduled which paired a themed menu connected to the theatrical/musical performance later in the evening.
The first was a Cuban night, and the third (now sold out) is a Hungarian meal prior to a performance by the Budapest Cafe Orchestra. However, I was gifted tickets to the Greek evening which paired a taste of Greece with a one-man performance of Achilles.
Karen and John from the Whaligoe Steps Cafe were on hand to deliver the meal, which was fantastic! (Aside: The Whaligoe Steps Cafe is now open for 2019, see my write up from last year here and check out their menu)
Diners could chose from a savoury bougatsa (milk pie)…
Vine tomatoes stuffed with rice..
A colourful Greek salad with big juicy olives and creamy feta chunks..
A rich purple salad of beetroot and potato…
More olives in a salad with butterbeans and plum tomatoes…
Plus some green salad and a selection of homemade pitta, hearth or pide breads to mop up some tzatziki!
Communal dining meant that you got to know others from around the county. We sat next to an older gentleman who had moved to Thurso in 1957 to work at Dounreay (the nuclear power plant which is now in a decommissioning phase) and had plenty of stories to tell!
Desserts of an almond and semolina cake, mini chocolate eggs, and a walnut and honey baklava-type sweet completed our meal.
Before too long it was time for the performance of ‘Achilles’ to start.
I can remember various Greek myth and stories from my school days, however I have never seen a dramatisation. Company of Wolves presented a one-man monologue of dance, song and physical theatre over the course of 45 minutes.
http://companyofwolves.org.uk/projects/achilles/
Achilles tells the story of the greatest hero of the Greeks during the Trojan War: how his best friend is killed by the champion of the Trojans, his desperate grief, and his terrible vengeance. In a fusion of storytelling, dance and song, Achilles is the story of a man’s exorcism: a burning out of his vulnerability, his rage, and his humanity.
With no elaborate staging or music – just a haze machine and effective lighting, it really meant you were focused on every word and movement of the performer.
As usual, we had a great night at Lyth, and hopefully we’ll be seeing more events like this in the summer/autumn season! Dinner and a show for just £20 each is a really good deal!
Click on the brochure below to be taken to the Lyth Events Calendar to see what events are coming up between now and the end of June.
I was gifted two complimentary tickets to Achilles +Whaligoe Steps Cafe Meal Deal at Lyth Arts Centre in exchange for my blog post. All opinions are my own.
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