Duke of York's Theatre
St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4BG 0333 009 6690
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Ends 12th April 2025.
Audio described performance: 25th February 2025 at 7.30pm
Captioned performance: 10th March 2025 at 7.30pm
A sister is upset about her father's assassination. Can her brother help her get even?
Brie Larson stars, Daniel Fish directs this Sophocles drama in a new translation by Anne Carson. Casting details are given for information only. Theatremonkey.com cannot take responsibility for the non-appearance of any performer.
(seen at the afternoon performance on 8th February 2025)
Daniel Fish continues his mission to “update” material which does not need updating with this mixture of drama and sung speech, augmented by the odd tone-changing pedal.
Brie Larson (Elektra) is shaven-headed and one angry young woman. She finds a remarkable number of ways to sing “no” into a microphone – a petulant 8-year-old boy will love her performance for that alone. Anyone who does not find petulant 8-year-old boys amusing will very quickly tire of it. The monkey tired of it rapidly.
A Greek Chorus swirls around Elektra, singing tunefully but adding nothing to the plot except to strike poses against Jeremy Herbert’s minimal and meaningless white cyclorama set with an observation balloon and a box suspended in the void.
Stockard Channing as Clytemnestra at least brings sanity to proceedings with beautiful clarity of speech. The problem is that this makes it appear she is in an entirely different production. Still, we treasure the scenes she is in, making the experience worthwhile.
Also worthwhile is what Adal Silverman can do with a single light. In one scene the stage illumination is thrilling, another point in this production’s favour.
Unlike the Old Vic’s “Oedipus” (which the monkey saw a few days before this), there appears to be some attempt by the director to explore something theatrically.
When Patrick Vaill (Orestes), however, launches into an explanation of how he dies - in the manner of a race commentator - you know that (just like the chariot) Fish has little grip on the steering. When the leading lady has to instruct the audience softly “you can clap now” after her final line is delivered, you know that the structure of the whole piece is wildly askew.
Sometimes interesting, mostly irritating, but not quite as misconceived as it might first appear. The monkey is unsure of the plot an hour later, but it at least knows the work was trying to get at something. Maybe one day, someone will pick up and revise it, allowing us to do so.
Legacy reader reviews
Well let's get the easy bit over, sat in F18 in the Upper Circle. It's sold as restricted but it's very minimal and so it was an excellent bargain.
The play itself was dreadful. Possibly the worst 75 minutes of theatre I've ever sat through. The director has got it totally wrong. It's a fantastic story but they made it almost impossible to follow. Great actors involved but totally underused. Set was boring, the sound was very loud and there was a revolve with a light that shone in the audiences faces as it spun around.
Only saving grace was the chorus who had great voices.
1 star from me.
Taljaard.
_____________________________
So TD and I went to Elektra. Following your advice, we had seats in Stalls Row E 17 and 18. My husband booked later and got the seat next to us (19?) and could still see most of the stage. It was the perfect distance – near enough to be fully involved (and see Brie Larson close up!) and far enough to see the entire stage. The two seats nearest the aisle, as you say, face the wall and miss a chunk of the stage.
The theatre itself gets a prize for some of the smallest toilets I’ve ever seen. Lots of squeezing in and out and everyone thanking each other for standing back. Also very lovely staff at the theatre.
As to the play – we loved it. I am genuinely puzzled by the reviews I have been reading (on Theatreboard and even your own). In terms of the basics, we could hear everything and everyone, and no one had to ask for applause at the end. There was clapping, there was cheering, there were curtain calls.
At the very start, when Brie exploded onto the stage and people got to grips with the (now famous) NO and the mic changes and the singing, you could hear ripples of surprised laughter, but after that, everyone seemed to settle into it.
We thought the chorus was amazing – an extraordinary performance, both visually and in the singing.
Brie Larson was also terrific – technically very precise, confident, funny at times, intense at others. I wished for more Stockard Channing, but that’s the play – what we saw of her was fabulous.
The smoke/dry ice (don’t know technical stuff here) was a little overwhelming in Row E but TD pointed out that being amid the smoke made the audience a part of the stage and the action at that moment of intensity, and she was right.
I haven’t seen Greek drama in a long while but it felt to me like a perfect mix of a modern interpretation along with a sense of the original dramatic style. It wasn’t just a spoken word play, it was an entire vocal performance, using the voice in a range of ways. Yes, we loved it!
(Brie Larson was lovely at the stage door afterwards as well, dealing politely but firmly with people ignoring the clearly stated request not to take photos. Boundaries, people, please recognise them!).
The monkey advises checking performance times on your tickets and that performances are happening as scheduled, before travelling.
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday and Saturday at 3pm and 7.30pm
Runs 1 hour 15 minutes approximately, with no interval.
WHERE TO BUY TICKETS / "BUY OR AVOID" SEAT GUIDE
Theatres use "dynamic pricing." Seat prices change according to demand for a particular performance. Prices below were compiled as booking originally opened. Current prices are advised at time of enquiry.
