A Greek and a Turkish Cypriot have collaborated on a play now being staged in London to rave reviews
NEVER before has the Cyprus problem been depicted in this way on stage. Strong language and a Turkish Cypriot boy involved with a Greek Cypriot girl. The Battle of Green Lanes has been well received since it opened in London last month.
So if you’re down London way over the coming weeks, the controversial play could be well worth a visit. It is a story of love, hate, Muslim fundamentalism and, of course, the conflict between Cypriots. Something a lot of us talk about over coffee which has now been turned into a play for the whole world to see.
Playwright Cosh Omar, a Turkish Cypriot, has used personal experiences from when he was growing up. “We [Cypriots] live together and politically we don’t get on, but socially we do. We go to each others’ weddings, but if we were to marry one another then that’s when huge cultural differences and the history and hatred become visible.”
The play was considered useless 10 years ago but since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Omar’s work has been accepted. “When nationalism rears its ugly head, we do some horrible things to each other,” said Omar. However, Kerry Michael, the director of the play, who is Greek-Cypriot, and Omar have managed to direct and write a play without blaming either side. “Cyprus has been a Christian island and it has been a Muslim island too,” said Michael, “so the fact that the play expands the debate regarding Muslim fundamentalism isn’t strange.”
Omar also plays the hero, Erol, who is a Turkish Cypriot desperately searching for his identity, whose best friends are Greek Cypriots. Since leaving college, Erol has been working at his father’s café. His father is an old Turkish man and a fan of Ataturk, while Erol is in love with Maria, a Greek Cypriot played by Elena Pavli, although he still feels the need to follow two Muslim missionaries in the fight to create an Islamic state.
Not only does the play focus on the Cyprus problem and the bicommunal relationship on the island, it also raises the issue of homosexuality. One of Erol’s closest friends, Tom a Greek Cypriot, is gay and is afraid to come out. To complicate matters still further, he is in love with Erol, who, like many Cypriots, is strongly anti gay. To make matters worse, Tom’s mother does not stop hassling him to get married (sound familiar?).
The Battle of Green Lanes is believed to be a milestone in theatre. The Cyprus problem is complex but Kerry and Omar have managed to make it about life, about Cypriot life and what it’s like to be a Cypriot.
SEVEN QUESTIONS
What car do you drive?
I don’t drive because I don’t have a licence.
Describe your perfect weekend.
Sleeping through most of it and then a movie with friends.
Assuming you believe in reincarnation, who or what would you come back as?
I would come back as a bird flying high in the sky.
What is your greatest fear?
Never being happy with what I’ve got.
What is your earliest memory?
I remember a room being redecorated.
What did you have for breakfast?
I never have time for breakfast, I’m always running late.
What was the last item of clothing that you bought?
I bought a Paul Smith suit for my predecessor’s leaving party.
