(seen at the afternoon performance on 6th February 2025)
A quirk of scheduling saw two productions of “Oedipus” announced for the West End, either side of the festive season. The Robert Icke at Wyndham’s Theatre was an inventive modern take which satisfied most.
This is the polar opposite. From Hofesh Shecter’s very weird (and interminable) Indian-style dancing to Rami Malek’s inadvertent Marlon “On The Waterfront” Brando impression, to Ella Hickson’s “Cliff Notes” cribbed adaptation making the storyline crystal clear – if you are aged 9 – this misfires on every cylinder, through every single scene.
Sure, you can follow the plot, but you will wince at the unsophisticated, unpolished dialogue. Matthew Warchus knows better than to “park and bark” actors, but that’s what he has them do for the most part – forgetting to drill out of Malek the arm movements which are just semaphore on a live stage.
In fairness, Joseph Mydell and Nicholas Woodeson come out rather well as a Corinthian and Shepherd respectively. Short and interesting scenes containing key plot development.
Indira Varma’s Jocasta floats around, sensibly above much of the action, and is evidently shockproof when the final revelation comes. Either that, or Wachus ran even further out of inspiration by then, sending her up the side aisle – possibly for a stiff drink before the next performance.
Peculiar backdrop projections (Rae Smith) eventually resolve as faces, Tom Visser’s lighting is either too dark to make out anything, or sponsored by EasyJet. Fortunately, at least Christopher Shutt ensures we can hear everything in a perfect sound mix.
For those with no prior knowledge of the story, willing to accept everything grinding to a halt after each scene as the “Greek / Indian Chorus” enjoy a workout on our clock, it is passable. Anybody else with a taste for Greek classics may wish to skip this one.
