Oedipus

The modern age. A plague has ravaged Thebes. The oracle believes the city is doomed because the murder of King Laius remains unpunished. The King’s successor, Oedipus, wants to investigate the horrific crime himself. But the outcome he discovers is devastating – as much for himself as for his people. Robert Icke’s Oedipus is a chilling thriller. Told in real time as the clock counts down over two hours, Sophocles’ ancient Greek hero is transformed into a political giant of today, awaiting the results of a hard-fought election that will bring him to power yet discovering that, in his own eagerness to spurn convention, he has committed the most repugnant of transgressions. Oedipus becomes a deeply human figure, destined to face the tragic repercussions of his unwitting mistakes. British director Robert Icke joins one of Europe’s most lauded theatre companies for a revelatory updating of Sophocles’ tragedy. Contains scenes of nudity and violence. Performed in Dutch with English supertitles

Edinburgh International Festival