|
|
| |
|
| |
FROM THE PRESS
‘Even in an age when TV soaps leave no taboo untouched,
a drama about a son who kills his father, marries his mother and
tears his hair out in maddened grief, has the capacity to shock.
Sophocles’ three tragedies about Oedipus, cursed by the
gods to suffer this fate, were written 2,500 years ago.
Now combined by Jonathan Shelley, they retain their emotional
and thought-provoking power.
Of necessity there are losses in the editing, but a compensating
unity carries Oedipus through the devastating realization that
the prophecy he has striven to evade has come true.
The curse continues after his death.
His sons fight for the throne and his daughters weigh their duty
to provide religious burial against a penalty of death.
Stephen Finegold’s direction makes simplicity a virtue and
is well served by a fine and versatile cast. Sophocles –
or rather fate’s – victims unknowingly speed themselves
towards cruel destiny by using their best qualities.‘
First Printed 24th May 2006
Gloucesterhsire Echo
|
|
| |
‘Jonathan Shelley's adaptation
of Sophocles' epic trilogy is a masterpiece of theatrical innovation.
For anyone who loves the immortal Greek tragedies, or especially
for those who have a desire to discover them for the first time,
this production by Works Well is a must.
It is also a must simply for those who love creative, clever theatre.
Working within the limited space of the Everyman's superb studio
theatre, Mr Shelley, along with director Stephen Finegold and designer
Corin Hayes, have come up with a vivid and evocative narrative which
gets right to the heart of Sophocles' work without trivializing
it in any way.
The set is simple but allows the actors to work on several levels,
the scenery is, primarily, a lit golden orb and lighting is used
sparingly and to great dramatic effect. This allows a perfect platform
for a troupe of six actors who play their parts and do the vital
work of the chorus with an energy and commitment which bigger, more
expensive productions, would envy.
Special honours go to David Danson for a powerful portrayal of King
Creon, a man guided by what he perceives to be the truth, yet ultimately
destroyed by it, and Justine Marriott for a dignified and moving
Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and the template for all tragic heroines.
The cast's work as members of the chorus, so central to Greek tragedy,
is superb and the use of cloaks and masks creates an other-worldly
feel to the production which is remarkable in so limited a space.
‘
First Printed 25th May 2006
Evesham Journal |
|
| |
FROM THE AUDIENCE |
|
| |
‘EXCELLENT - Enjoyed every minute
of the show’
‘Brilliant to see the whole Trilogy’
‘A great translation and easy to follow’
‘WOW!!!’
Very clear’
‘Acting was great’
‘Very powerful and well worth seeing
’BRILLIANT!’
‘I liked the energy and enthusiasm, the ability to convey
the essentials and the imaginative weaving of the chorus into the
drama‘
‘A very powerful performance – Spellbinding
Amazing…Moving…and only 6 of you!!!!!
More please…!!!‘
‘I attended the Theban Trilogy at Cheltenham last week with
my A Level Classical Studies group. They got a lot out of
it - and I certainly did. The hard-working cast brought home
the power of Sophocles's dramas. I felt real pity for Oedipus
and was moved by Creon's downfall. Cracking stuff.‘
‘Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the Theban Trilogy
- what great work I felt you were doing in bringing these amazing
works to life.
It was a superb adaptation, which must have taken a huge effort
on your part, and it seems a terrible shame that it won't be seen
by a lot more people, especially drama students, A-levels etc who
would benefit so much from seeing an accessible version of a
piece of theatre history.
Congratulations to everyone involved - I can only imagine how difficult
it is to keep a small theatre company going these days but I hope
you can make it work because it's so important to keep breathing
new life into the classics, as you do.‘
‘Thanks for a fine evening - It was great to see the trilogy
presented as a whole. The adaptation was lively and allowed you
to perform with pace. I did very much like the introduction of stylised
fighting. It was like watching freeze frames from vase paintings.
All in all, a wonderfully theatrical and powerful evening.
I hope it may encourage you to tackle more Greek drama - Thanks
again‘
‘It was altogether excellent – diction, style, facial
expressions, pace. Very moving and went at a good speed. I do hope
the company comes again and puts on more classical plays –
they are splendid actors and excellent producers. I can think of
nothing negative to say about it. Production is excellent all round.‘
‘Liked the chorus masked. Liked the fact it was not done in
modern dress. Good lighting very absorbing and enthralling performance‘
‘It was excellent. I very much liked the use of masks by the
chorus. The acting was all of a very high standard and it is a rare
treat to see all of these plays performed together as a cycle‘
‘I think the play was absolutely amazing. They did a phenomenal
job in bringing together the 3 plays in an easy to follow way. Although
it was a long play, time flew by. I enjoyed every moment of it.
The acting was superb. It was brilliant. I would recommend it to
anyone.I also liked the intimacy of the space, although I think
the play could probably fill larger spaces, especially as more people
hear about it.‘
‘To create a workable trilogy from three Sophocles plays and
remain true to Ancient Greek philosophy is truly remarkable. I could
almost feel the rumbling of the Gods moving the players along at
a cracking pace.
I enjoyed the aesthetic balance and choreography; the masks were
brilliant and set off by subtle and expressive body movement. The
excitement of the fights was a marvel to behold. The whole cast
worked well as a team, complementing and supporting each other in
very exacting roles, and the language worked very well. I loved
the modern inserts of humour and mannerisms.
But the point of this most horrendous story was not lost. I have
to say that Jocasta the seer gave a wonderful otherworld performance.
The commanding presence and resonant voice of Creon was atmospheric.
How are the mighty fallen! It always difficult to understand why
pride is such a sin but to ignore the voice of the people of Thebes
was his undoing.
I loved Antigone and her fortitude, whose love to do right by the
Gods gave her courage to defy the king with such power and passion
and I must say her sister Ismene, had me chuckling in her part as
the messenger.
Clearly Jonathan Shelley (author) and Stephen Finegold (director)
have created an exceptional play. I don’t know whether they
have developed a niche area of philosophical theatre, I sincerely
hope so.‘
‘My name is Rachel Taylor, I am 16 years old, and I came to
your performance of the Theban Trilogy on Thursday 25th
May. I came because my Latin Teacher suggested it, with her and
two of my latiny friends.
I visit the theatre about twice a year, which is not enough because
I love it. I love 'afterglow' feeling you get and eating ice cream
with flimsy spoons and being made to see things differently and
being taken to a different place. And apart from the lack of ice
cream, your performance did all that.
Things I liked:
Small performance space
The sphinx
Swooshy cloaks
Good fight parts- neither too long nor pathetically repetitive
and tentative which I have seen!
Dead good adaption of the play. Understood everything, but still
lots of beauty in the words.
People saying 'look here comes whoever' so you don't get confused
about names
The emotion visibly emanating from the actors! Amazing. Fab.
All he characters were so human, I don't know how to say it, but
it reassured me starting Greek at University will be fab.
The cloaks representing the sisters as babies turning
into the adult sisters' cloaks.
Thanks so much. Dead good.‘
|
|
|
