June 1, 2011
Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy is made up of three separate plays, here condensed into a two and a half hour production. The main theme of each play is justice; and whether murder can ever be justified. Each of the main protagonists (and killers) feel that their actions are morally right although other characters may disagree. The play poses interesting questions which the audience may consider later; is it ever ethical to kill?
The first act tells the story of Clytemnestra; a Queen waiting for the return of her warrior husband King Agamemnon. We learn that success in the battle required a sacrifice to the gods - their daughter Iphigenia. Clytemnestra's hatred of Agamemnon for the death of their daughter has grown steadily over the ten years he has been away and erupts into violence on his return.
Abigail Rees as Clytemnestra gave a strong performance; vengeful, cold and arrogant. Her crime, whilst outwardly motivated by the loss of her daughter, could also be attributed to her desire for a husband she can control - a "cowardly lion" rather than the stronger character of Agamemnon. I thought Rees was especially powerful and created a definite feeling of menace throughout the first act. She was also extremely moving when she spoke of her daughter's death.
Cassandra was played very well by Isabella Wilson; the part where she prophesies the death of Agamemnon is particularly effective. I thought she was both unhappy and utterly convincing in the description of her vision.
The set was used well throughout the production; and the use of the curtain falling and rising to show the most dramatic moments where the murders are discovered was extremely powerful. The play was performed mostly in everyday language making it more accessible to a wider audience and the direct quotations from the original Greek were more powerful in contrast.
The actors were all very fluent and convincing; I thought it was extremely well performed on the whole. The furies in act two were especially menacing and I enjoyed this part of the performance very much.
Overall, the play would encourage anyone to revisit the original and we can see its influence in later works, especially some Shakespearean tragedies (Hamlet and Titus Andronicus for example). It was entertaining, powerful and in places very moving. I would definitely recommend going to see it.
The first act tells the story of Clytemnestra; a Queen waiting for the return of her warrior husband King Agamemnon. We learn that success in the battle required a sacrifice to the gods - their daughter Iphigenia. Clytemnestra's hatred of Agamemnon for the death of their daughter has grown steadily over the ten years he has been away and erupts into violence on his return.
Abigail Rees as Clytemnestra gave a strong performance; vengeful, cold and arrogant. Her crime, whilst outwardly motivated by the loss of her daughter, could also be attributed to her desire for a husband she can control - a "cowardly lion" rather than the stronger character of Agamemnon. I thought Rees was especially powerful and created a definite feeling of menace throughout the first act. She was also extremely moving when she spoke of her daughter's death.
Cassandra was played very well by Isabella Wilson; the part where she prophesies the death of Agamemnon is particularly effective. I thought she was both unhappy and utterly convincing in the description of her vision.
The set was used well throughout the production; and the use of the curtain falling and rising to show the most dramatic moments where the murders are discovered was extremely powerful. The play was performed mostly in everyday language making it more accessible to a wider audience and the direct quotations from the original Greek were more powerful in contrast.
The actors were all very fluent and convincing; I thought it was extremely well performed on the whole. The furies in act two were especially menacing and I enjoyed this part of the performance very much.
Overall, the play would encourage anyone to revisit the original and we can see its influence in later works, especially some Shakespearean tragedies (Hamlet and Titus Andronicus for example). It was entertaining, powerful and in places very moving. I would definitely recommend going to see it.