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Sappho in Fragments

By Hattie Naylor. Sappho adores her brother Charaxus, but his obsession with the courtesan-slave Rhodopis threatens to destroy their family.
Stars Thalissa Teixeira.

By Hattie Naylor. Sappho adores her brother Charaxus. But nothing is the same after his trip to Egypt. His irrational obsession with the courtesan-slave Rhodopis threatens to destroy their family. Starring Thalissa Teixeira.

Sappho is a superstar. Think BeyoncΓ© or Taylor Swift: phenomenally talented and charismatic. But she must still take care of the family's reputation. And her brothers are so annoying: Larichus is a lazy drunk: he can't 'lift his head' long enough to be a real man. And Charaxus is wasting all the family money on this Egyptian-based gold-digger whore from Thrace. It's not good optics for a famous poet/musician.

And there are so many wolfish rivals waiting to bite Sappho in the back; they'd love to get their claws on juicy gossip like this. Sappho can't trust herself either: how can she resist the temptation to reveal her intimate problems onstage, for her voracious fans and all the world to hear.

Only her devoted servant Timas knows how to take care of Sappho.

Inspired by fragments of Sappho's poems, including her newly discovered work, Hattie Naylor creates a vivid episode in the youthful life on Lesbos of this elusive and unforgettable poet.

CAST
Sappho ... Thalissa Teixeira
Timas ... Rhiannon Neads
Andromeda/Rhodopis ...Anna Spearpoint
Gorgo ... Juliana Lisk
Charaxus ... Joseph Tweedale
Larichus/Fotis ... Oliver Hembrough
Captain/Agapios ... Ian Dunnett Jnr
Cleis ... Amanda Lawrence

Historical consultant ... Professor Edith Hall
Photo credit ... Ágnes Wonke-Tóth

Music by Liz Hanks from her album 'Land', released on Hudson Records
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery

Available now

44 minutes

Last on

Wed 28 Feb 2024 14:15

Broadcast

  • Wed 28 Feb 2024 14:15

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