Oedipus

Review by Sam

⭐⭐

Ella Hickson assembles Hollywood stars to take on the famous Greek tragedy. But after being wowed by Robert Icke’s production last year, does Hickson’s adaptation have the same impact?

After hearing the prophecy of an Oracle, the new King Oedipus must bring salvation to his people by finding the murderer of the old King Laius. However, his unstoppable pursuit of the truth brings up more than he may have first bargained for. Unlike Icke’s recent production, Hickson presents her Oedipus in a more traditional manner, classically structuring the narrative of Sophocles’ tragedy at its core but with a cinematic flair

Co-Directors Hoefesh Shechter and Matthew Warchus, have successfully crafted some of the most stunning visuals through bold staging paired with phenomenal lighting design. Each scene feels as though you are witnessing a piece of artwork come to life before your very eyes, as Tom Visser’s powerful lighting design illuminates the stage with grace.

Shechter also serves as choreographer for the piece, weaving incredibly powerful and defiantly fierce dance throughout. Whilst the ensemble of dancers excel with bold performances, they sadly do not blend with the narrative and end up confusing the entirety of the play (more than Oedipus himself). By inter-splicing a gorgeously rich straight drama with choreography felt incredibly mis-matched, almost as if a dance and drama version of the story had been combined.

Leading the piece is Academy Award Winner, Rami Malek and Olivier Award winner Indira Varma. Malek's performance as Oedipus was sadly underwhelming, offering a muted take on the character that felt at times more similar to his actual persona. Comparatively Varma steals almost every scene in which she is in with an emotionally raw performance. However, I was overly underwhelmed by the ensemble and their portrayals of this narrative in a production which sadly lacks the impact it aims to have.

Sadly this production missed the mark for me. Having seen just how powerful Sophocles' material can be, I was left incredibly disappointed by a production that whilst looking beautiful, felt confused at what it was aiming to achieve.