Oedipus – Abbey Theatre – Review

Until Saturday, 31 October 2015 – Showing on the Abbey Stage
Running time: 1 hour 40 mins (no interval)

The poster for this new production of Oedipus features a series of chairs stacked precariously on top of each other, so it should come as no surprise when you enter the theatre to see the set filled with a collection of chairs, with a table at the centre. The back wall of the theatre is exposed other than for a series of flood lights that are waiting for their moment. The stage is typical of this stripped down production of Oedipus that focuses on the actors and in particular the chorus, while surprisingly introducing a number of choral songs.

Oedipus was written by Sophocles and was first performed in 429 BC. This is a new version of the play written by Wayne Jordan. It does not stray too far from the fundamentals of the King of Thebes who is told of his fate to marry his mother and kill his father as a young man, and despite his best efforts cannot alter his destiny. It is one of the cruellest tales of the Gods, as the protagonist never seemed to have a chance to fight against their powers.

The cast wear plain modern day clothes and there is little to distinguish the king from the rest other than a lacklustre wooden crown. The chorus members arrive on stage early on in the piece, entering from different sides of the stage and taking their place in the sea of chair. They rarely leave the stage and most have speaking parts, if only a few short lines, elevating their parts to citizens rather than background fillers. This seems to move the focus of the production away from the King, making it about the city of Thebes and its residents.

Director Wayne Jordan is well known for his unusual takes on classics and has recently directed the Shadow of the Gunman and Twelfth Night at the Abbey. This new production is certainly a different view on the Greek classic, and it feels like a meeting at a community hall rather than the grandeur of a king’s palace. The vocal harmonies are impressive and the staging unconventional. With so many layers stripped away, it allows the actors to carry the production, and there are some impressive performances on display with Fiona Bell particularly catching the eye. It is a production that focuses on the chorus and eventually the audience, dwelling on our collective responsibility for the actions of those in power.

Oedipus – Abbey Theatre – Until Saturday, 31 October 2015 – Showing on the Abbey Stage

Credits

Malcolm Adams – Shepherd
Karen Ardiff – Chorus
Fiona Bell – Jocasta
Muiris Crowley – Chorus
Hilda Fay – Chorus
Rachel Gleeson – Chorus
Peter Gowen – Tiresias
Mark Huberman – Creon
Esosa Ighodaro – Chorus
Nicola Kavanagh – Chorus
Damian Kearney – Chorus
Ger Kelly – Chorus
Ronan Leahy – Stranger
Charlotte McCurry – Messenger / Chorus
Pat Nolan – Chorus
Helen Norton – Chorus
Barry John O’Connor – Oedipus
Robert O’Connor – Chorus
Shane O’Reilly – Chorus

Wayne Jordan – Director
Ciarán O’Melia – Set designer
Sinéad Wallace – Lighting designer
Catherine Fay – Costume designer
Tom Lane – Composer, musical director and sound designer
Suzanne Savage – Singing coach
Sue Mythen – Movement director