Simon Stone turns his attention to another important literary woman, Phaedra as imagined by Euripides, Seneca and Racine and given a modern retelling in a production at the National Theatre written and directed by Stone. Stone’s vision for Phaedra is riveting in a piece that explores mature sexuality, fantasy and generational competition between mother and daughter.
‘Gives the story an emotional & psychological depth’: BLUEPRINT MEDEA – Finborough Theatre
Julia Pascal’s retelling of the Medea myth in Blueprint Medea situates the story in the contemporary struggle of the Kurdish people for their own homeland.
‘Uncomfortable mix of the ancient and the modern’: ELECTRA – Bunker Theatre
Enjoyable performances, but I really do wish there had been less words in Electra at the Bunker Theatre, and more music and sharper storytelling.
MEDEA – Almeida Theatre
“I can unmake you the same way I made you. I write the story, remember?” Rachel Cusk’s brilliant vision of Euripides’ Medea for the Almeida transforms the barbarian witch into a modern-day writer: but, just as the ancient Medea’s spells had immortal force, so the new Medea’s power with words, particularly her fearless refusal to compromise on the truth, alienates and terrifies all those around her, and endows her with the ability to change her own destiny – at the terrible price of her sons’ lives.