Oedipus

Synopsis

The Land of Thebes is dying. In order to restore balance King Oedipus is forced to unmask a killer, but his zealous search uncovers a more terrifying secret. Sophocles' play is a mixture of classical tragedy, whodunnit and political thriller.

Our Review:

16 October 2008

This is one of the best performances of a Greek tragedy I have ever seen. And as Sophocles’ fifth century drama – in a terrific new version at the National by Frank McGuinness, based on a literal translation from the Greek by Kieran McGroarty – is the best in the genre (who am I to disagree with Aristotle?) the seventy-five minutes of Jonathan Kent’s production are quite something.

The palace at Thebes in Paul Brown’s design is a huge steel portal, burnished and mottled, through which Ralph Fiennes as Oedipus strides confidently in a modern dark suit, an innocent psychotic, perfect political power player, anxious (well, interested) to know why he’s been summoned to save his own city. The old priest (David Burke) has ugly scars and blotches on his torso. The whole place is going belly-up with the plague.

The king’s brother-in-law, Creon (Jasper Britton), brings good news in a bad spell – the gods have said all will be fine once the murder of t...

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Latest User Review

Manos - 7 December 2008:

Fiennes was excellent, but even better was Higins' Iocaste. A very good production, ideally situated in the Olivier theatre...

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