This glorious tripartite storytelling of the tales of Prometheus (the Titan), Hephaestos (the God) and Daedelus (father of Icarus) takes its audience through the world of mortals and gods, earths and heavens and the struggles of mankind against itself. Following the truly epic narratives of Greek mythology, the abundance of characters and reflections in the Icarus show at The Theatre in Headington delivers to its listeners a spectacular demonstration of dramatic and thought-provoking enlightenment. I would strongly recommend this storytelling duo.
Characterised by an epic exploration of three classic Greek myths, the storytellers take the listener through every stride and stumble of the journey as each character delves deeper into that dangerous mythological void between the mortals and gods. Beginning with the journey of Prometheus and his run-ins with the gods and all their responsibilities, he is left to look after the “mere mortals” – facing the trials of fire on earth, and the opening up of Pandora’s box. Of course, all the narratives carry with them a heavy moral message, causing the audience to sit back and reflect not just on the story but the significance of the actions of Prometheus before the gods. Again, in the tale of Daedelus and Icarus as they escape the clutches of King Minos by flying with their legendary wings of feather and wax, the audience are engaged to think (twice) about the sorrow felt by a father’s loss for a son and equally, for the son’s loss of a father.
As each character is lulled into happiness or punishment – and sometimes, humour – in their struggles with the godly wrath and fate that has been dealt upon them, their woes and joys are brought to the fore by two excellent storytellers. The duo storytellers, Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, return to The Theatre at Headington following their very successful performances in 2005. With their impeccable relaying of storyline, simple tone and careful delivery of these well-tuned pieces, Lupton and Morden excel in every aspect of telling these Greek myths. For such a wide audience, the difficulty always seems to be on remaining accessible and equally enjoyable – they achieved this balance and provided an excellent evening of entertainment.
Icarus was performed on Tuesday 10th October at The Theatre in Headington and will be followed by Metamorphoses on Wednesday 11th October, The Iliad on Friday 13th October and The Odyssey on Saturday 14th October.
Characterised by an epic exploration of three classic Greek myths, the storytellers take the listener through every stride and stumble of the journey as each character delves deeper into that dangerous mythological void between the mortals and gods. Beginning with the journey of Prometheus and his run-ins with the gods and all their responsibilities, he is left to look after the “mere mortals” – facing the trials of fire on earth, and the opening up of Pandora’s box. Of course, all the narratives carry with them a heavy moral message, causing the audience to sit back and reflect not just on the story but the significance of the actions of Prometheus before the gods. Again, in the tale of Daedelus and Icarus as they escape the clutches of King Minos by flying with their legendary wings of feather and wax, the audience are engaged to think (twice) about the sorrow felt by a father’s loss for a son and equally, for the son’s loss of a father.
As each character is lulled into happiness or punishment – and sometimes, humour – in their struggles with the godly wrath and fate that has been dealt upon them, their woes and joys are brought to the fore by two excellent storytellers. The duo storytellers, Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, return to The Theatre at Headington following their very successful performances in 2005. With their impeccable relaying of storyline, simple tone and careful delivery of these well-tuned pieces, Lupton and Morden excel in every aspect of telling these Greek myths. For such a wide audience, the difficulty always seems to be on remaining accessible and equally enjoyable – they achieved this balance and provided an excellent evening of entertainment.
Icarus was performed on Tuesday 10th October at The Theatre in Headington and will be followed by Metamorphoses on Wednesday 11th October, The Iliad on Friday 13th October and The Odyssey on Saturday 14th October.