the oresteia

Photo: Helen Maybanks from https://www.bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-oresteia/

Simon Stone's modern interpretation of The Oresteia trilogy is bloody, messy and makes your brain work, exactly what a recreation of Greek Tragedy should be and do. Split into three parts, and almost four hours long, with long scenes taking place throughout a revolving, two-story house, beautiful monologues and contemporary themes expertly weaved through both the personal and the political. There's still a little way to go during their previews to get this show running completely smoothly, and there's no obvious message or take-away, but every performance is captivating, and my conviction that re-creations of Greek tragedy with never cease is made ever-stronger.

Simon Stone's writing is sharp, with excellent pace, quick wit and beautiful imagery in the moments of intimacy we experience with the characters who are given monologues. Here we have a really clear example of why writers often like to direct their own writing. He knows exactly how he wants his words delivered, and how the writing serves the performance. He can create fuller characters, and enhance their understanding of their role within the piece. The twisting, turning, often toxic relationships, rivalries and feuds are driven by so much feeling and conviction, and while this is a joy to watch in and of itself, I am slightly disappointed by a lack of moral conviction from the production as a whole. I have felt this before at the Bridge Theatre, who stage incredibly pertinent work, but don't tend to inspire changed minds or even any debate about the issues the production touches, even when those issues have a clear moral answer.

There is incredible talent on this stage. Tom Glynn-Carney is the stand out as a modern-day Orestes, haunted by the ghosts of his entire family, along with a suggestion of PTSD from serving in the military in Afghanistan (one of the wars mentioned that grounds this production in our reality). The ability to switch between years and b0th physical and mental states for all the actors is incredibly impressive, and as the tension builds and the time frames increasingly collide we are continually questioning our understanding and what is real for both us and the characters. At times the dark comedy borders on the ridiculous, seemingly lowering the stakes and making the characters appear less 'real', especially as we approach the crux of the violence, and since the violence in both the ancient text and Stone's modern writing requires a certain type of mental fortitude to enact, John Macmillan and Mary-Louise Parker's comedic exchange diminish the intensity of the situation. One doesn't imagine Aeschylus' Clytemnestra and Aegisthus having such a cartoonish interaction.

My ancient Greek tragedy itch was scratched by this production. I felt Simon Stone's eagerness to capture the sense of the original trilogy, and the epic expansion of the story while being so well grounded in our current reality is well managed and strives to achieve the original purpose of theatre. The performances are ones to be proud of, career-defining roles. My only qualm would be with the Bridge Theatre's production aims: where do they stand within wider society? what do their productions make us question? are they really producing hard-hitting, culturally plugged-in work?