On the Misconception of Oedipus, Aug 17, 2012 ***

Venue and Dates:  Beckett Theatre, Malthouse, August 10 to August 26, 2012
Reviewer:  Joe Calleri
Stars:  3

SOPHOCLES' WELL-KNOWN, 5^th century BC Greek legendary tale of obsession, prophecy, and forbidden incestuous relationship, emerges into the 21^st century thanks to the imaginings of Zoë Atkinson, Matthew Lutton and Tom Wright, who also wrote the text.

This is a rather brave – but ultimately unsuccessful - attempt to “fill in the blanks” in the tale, and specifically, the events that led to the murder of King Lauis by his son, Oedipus, who then marries his mother, Queen Jocasta.

On a stage that resembles a living room undergoing renovation, an eight-track tape recorder sits on a small table silently recording contemporarily garbed actors Natasha Herbert (Jocasta), Richard Pyros (Oedipus), and Daniel Schlusser (Laius).

They speak into floor floor-mounted microphones as they each address the audience as if undergoing a police interrogation. In turn, they reveal their insecurities, obsessions, and dark fears.

Tom Wright’s writing is initially powerful, and magnetically engaging, but then becomes too clever for its own good, serving to repel rather than maintain interest.

This production jumps the shark at around the 45-minute mark, specifically after King Laius is murdered by his son, Oedipus, in a particularly graphic and brutal manner.

The production should ideally, have ended here, but it lurches for a further 15 tedious minutes, while Oedipus and Jocasta first consummate their forbidden relationship (be warned of the on-stage male nudity) and then amble off into a droll, sozzled, domestic banality.

This well-acted, high concept production which pre-supposes that audiences have a firm grasp of the famous tale it deconstructs, ultimately fails to win over its audience because of its overt cleverness, and rambling, unsatisfying conclusion. 

By Joe Calleri