Another artistic and commercial triumph from last season returns this year to the Theatron at the Hellenic Cosmos Cultural Centre. City Lights is an adaptation of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic film, directed by Amalia Bennett with music by Thodoris Economou and lyrics by Stavros Stavrou. 

Chaplin’s ‘Little Tramp’ falls in love with a blind flower girl and does everything he can to raise the money for an operation to restore her sight. This landmark of American cinema about a shabby hero struggling to survive in the unforgiving environment of extreme economic liberalism has now inspired an idiosyncratic musical telling a universal story of a love that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers. Live music, songs, and creative energy come together in a tribute to Chaplin’s genius, the heroism of ordinary people, and the archetypal values of life.

Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, City Lights is both a moving comedy and a modern parable about social injustice and unrequited love. It is a film with arguably the most moving ending in the history of cinema, a work that reflects the fraught period between the wars and extols a life without compromise, generosity without expectations, and love without boundaries.