There is a climate crisis in Thebes. There is a lack of water, and the Oracle says the drought will continue until the murderer of the late king is found. Oedipus promises his people he will find the criminal. Little does he know…
Sophocles’ play, which premiered in Greece in 429 BCE, is the first and best who-dun-it ever written. 2,500 years on, it still has the power to shock. The English censor, as late as 1912, wanted to ban the play not on account of the murder but because of the incest.
The Oedipus at The Old Vic, however, is not by Sophocles (more’s the pity); it is an adaptation by Ella Hickson in contemporary English. The chorus has been cut and replaced by dancers. There is no poetry and there is no horror. There is no singing and there is no awesome Greek grandeur.
The production, which is a joint production by Matthew Warchus and Hofesh Shechter, gets off to a terrific start with frenzied dancing. Tom Visser’s lighting is stark. The darkness and the sudden blackouts immediately heighten the tension and excitement enormously. The stage is absolutely bare. Shechter not only choreographs, he has also composed the pounding score.
Rami Malek, who won an Oscar for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, is making his UK stage debut as Oedipus opposite Indira Varma as Jocasta, his queen. Malek, in a white suit, stiff and awkward, regularly talks at a standing microphone and addresses the audience directly as if he were at a political rally.
The production’s emotional energy comes not from the actors but from the dancers’ volatile hands and body movement. The dancing is so thrilling, Malek and Varma are completely upstaged.
There is no classic Greek tragedy finale for the audience. This version ends on a positive note with rain.
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