The Loreto students went to see Steven Berkoff’s remarkable version of the Greek Tragedy in preparation for their upcoming exams. Here student Hannah Brown gives her opinion of the production.

 

Whilst Steven Berkoff’s bold adaptation of Greek tragedy’s best known and arguably most influential play may not be to everyone’s taste, this brand new take on the Classic play by Sophocles does not disappoint in bold stylising and high drama.

 

Saying this, Berkoff certainly chose some good material to work with. As the fate of plagued Thebes rests on finding the killer of Laius, the old king, Oedipus’ ambition to solve the murder leads to his desire to uncover the truth about his identity, resulting in the unearthing of a hideous secret. Oedipus’ downfall is set, aided by his own arrogance and insatiable desire to discover himself, regardless of the opinions of others- rich pickings for any director with the guts and ability to tackle the complexity of the play.

 

Berkoff’s adaptation stays true to the original spirit of the play, focusing in on the terrible fate of Oedipus and his struggle to find out the truth about his own identity, but the setting has been transferred to a more modern Greece. Here, the city of Thebes has transformed to become a territory run by the dons of the Greek mafia, with Creon and Oedipus in matching blue suits and bling, dancing with the eight-strong Chorus to traditional Greek accordion music. This adds dynamism and an amount of humour to alleviate the overall feeling of inevitable destruction, with Vincenzo Nicoli as Creon particularly enjoying this refreshing new take on his traditionally straight-laced character.

 

Simon Merrells as Oedipus captures the arrogance of the self-centred king, striding across the stage with a seemingly customary swagger and a gradually rising temper. Whilst clearly portraying Oedipus as a strong, dynamic and masculine figure, the absence of Oedipus’ characteristic limp does not provide a visual indication of his true identity and the hasty explanation of its absence evokes a last-minute add-on to the script. However this does not override the general sense of vitality and tense emotion portrayed.

 

Louise Jameson as the only female actor in the group stands out as Jocasta, but her initial stately and calm demeanour can seem overwhelmed at times by the decidedly more brash characteristics of Oedipus and the messenger, played excellently by Ian McSweeney, who also plays the seer Tiresias with equal gusto. Generally the differentiation between characters played by the same person is successful, especially with the addition of masks, which harks back to the traditional Ancient Greek rituals which helps this latest production to retain its links to the context of the traditional play.

However, there are some points about this latest adaptation that may divide the audience, most notably the deliberate abandonment of the Greek custom to keep death scenes off the stage. To those uninitiated in the makeup of Classic tragedy, this makes the play more accessible, providing a visual representation of the messenger’s wordy descriptions, but to others well versed in the Classics it could be seen as a distraction. Other manipulations of the original text that may also be considered questionable, including the strange and occasionally awkward juxtaposition of modern language and speeches constructed in iambic pentameter. In addition to these criticisms, Berkoff’s direction can seem to be an acquired taste, with highly stylised movements, including arguably over-used slow-motion and over the top dancing from the Chorus, making the focus on the abilities of Berkoff, rather than the tragedy itself.

 

Alternatively, the style can appeal to the audience, with the slow motion movement of the Chorus aiding them in attempting to create the feeling of a large crowd presence onstage, as well as showcasing the dance training that some members evidently have, giving each Chorus member their own small personality to contribute to the play.

 

Berkoff’s new rework of the timeless Greek tragedy sounds like a risky proposal and it is; its division of the audience is testament to that. But one thing that Berkoff’s production will never be is safe and unremarkable, which is surely a better and more bold approach than attempting to please all audiences. The drama of watching the downfall of the tragic hero in such a modern and stylised form gives the piece real spectacle and vitality, but those looking for a faithful re-enactment of the original play- look elsewhere.