‘Greek Nightmare’, The Wanstead Curtain

Greek Nightmare, a one-man-play written by Nick Samuels and starring actor George Lloynes, premiered at The Wanstead Curtain on 05/09/26. It marked the first of our run of evening theatricals this Wanstead Fringe season - and what a way to kick things off!

The play is a reimagining of the story of Ephialtes, a figure from Greek mythology, famous for betraying the Spartans and causing the tragedy that led to 300 of their deaths. Largely remembered as a Judas-type figure, the word Ephialtes in modern Greek literally translates to ‘nightmare’. The Ephialtes we are introduced to here, however, is a very relatable and human version of the character we have come to know. This is strange and innovative, given he is certainly one of his histories outcasts - for the most part relegated to the realm of untouchables. This is captured well in the script, when Ephialtes laments how ‘everyone knows my name now, but they’ve given it new meaning’.

Part of the value of small Fringe productions like this lies in their platforming of new voices, of new stories desperate to be told and, as it goes here, their ability to breathe new life into well-known, well-worn tales like this one. The play’s writer and director, Nick Samuels, has done a fantastic job here in humanising such an ill-fated, judged historical figure. The play tells Ephialtes’ story from his point of view. Whilst he provides his own explanations and reasoning behind his actions, it by no means justifies them, rather it does well to serve up a nuanced view of how one man’s simple wrong-doing can completely alter the course of his life. It prompt its audience not to forgive or side with Ephialtes, but to dare to see the man behind the monstrosity of his actions. The script is sharply evocative and enlightening. Stories from Greek Mythology are certainly experiencing a renaissance in popular culture, but too often these new adaptations solely trace the steps of former adaptations and do not offer new perspectives. It is refreshing, therefore, to see how Samuels has dared to take on the story of such a hated figure, and to give him the grace of explaining and presenting himself to an audience. What his script does, in spades, is invite judgment and persecution, but simultaneously it makes us pity the man we see before us.

Ephialtes really goes on an emotional roller coaster before our eyes - there is humour, crudeness, fear, longing, anger, despair and much more. All of this allows us to gauge a much more rounded view of his person. George Lloynes pulls this off well - and is a wonderful storyteller to Samuels’ scribe. Effortlessly slipping into character, his delicate balance of exploring both the man himself, and the man with the burden to bear, is outstanding. Tracing the lead up to Ephialtes’ misdeeds, Lloynes breathes new life into a figure who is at first weighted by responsibility, and later by shame. His humane treatment of this character complements Samuels’ script and entreats viewers to see him as a whole person - flawed and vulnerable, just like the rest of us. He has been told by his father; ‘remembrance after life is greater than living’ - and where we find him now is with these words now warped in his mind - having come to mean something completely tragic and horrifying.

Lloyne’s Ephialtes has never not known the weight of responsibility and external pressure - bound since birth by family duties, his father‘s expectations, marriage, etc - he is now weighted once more, but this weight is that of shame and judgment. Despite this, there is so much more we see of him - he is funny, loving, ironic, dutiful… Yet there is a certain vulnerability to Ephialtes, even beneath this humour, irony, quips and comebacks. There is also, undeniably, a dark side to him.  Whilst he indeed has his reasons for his betrayal, they are only surface level. As is revealed in the final scenes; he ‘did it so that they would thank [him]…remember [him]’, so not really for anything honourable after all. The audience is left, therefore, to judge for themselves how they feel towards him. Was he just a weak, desperate man? Or did he have a malicious side? Questioning his motivations feels bold, new and interesting - it captures the audience and certainly adds something new and exciting to this old story.

Lloynes also steps into a series of other characters and, as a practiced, skilled storyteller,  manages to completely embody each and every one of them so the audience can easily distinguish them from Ephialtes - no small feat in a one-man-show. The production is very minimal in many ways - one actor, next to no props, no music, simple white costume, few lighting changes, but it all does it justice. Yes, these are simple features, but they are full of meaning - Ephialtes is solo on stage because he has been, quite literally, isolated and ostracised. His clothes are white because they are unstained by blood, but it’s still on his hands…

It feels like the aim of this production is not to obviously shock, stun or amaze - we are already familiar with the story - but rather to offer a new perspective, to humanise a condemned man, to offer him the platform to explain himself. Greek Nightmare transcribes this complex history well (there are a lot of names, places, references etc), but here it feels organic and palatable. Despite looking at a story many of us will have heard before, the play is powerful enough to make us reconsider what we think we know. As George works the room - energetically filling the space with charm, insight, charisma and emotion, Samuels’ script takes us wholly into Ephialtes’ world,  bringing to life the ancient Greek setting, the atmosphere, the people, the stories. This is world building at its finest - the crafting of atmosphere through words. On the whole, this is a wonderfully evocative, striking show with excellent writing and such mesmerising delivery - you definitely don’t want to miss this.