@sohoplace – until 22 April 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Robinson Jeffers’ intelligent adaptation of Euripides’ tragedy is only 90 minutes long, but never feels rushed in Dominic Cooke’s hands. The production often feels calmer and more meditative than longer versions of the play, with Ben Daniels’ prowling silently around the stage as a symbol of the constant threat to the women from the men of Greece.
The production begins traditionally, with Medea’s nurse (the wonderful Marion Bailey) relating what has happened to cause her mistress such sorrow. After falling in love with the adventurous young Jason and using her knowledge and skills to help him acquire the golden fleece, Medea murdered her brother and manipulated the daughters of Jason’s rival into patricide. Living as exiles in Corinth, the couple have two sons but Jason, seeking power and security, leaves “barbarian” Medea and marries the golden haired daughter of Creon, king of Corinth – “a true Greek marriage”.
The women of Corinth (Jo MInnes, Amy Trigg and Penny Layden – all excellent), watching on helplessly, rise from the audience to speak, surprising those around them and adding to the voyeuristic feel of this stylish production set in the round. Vicki Mortimer’s stark but arresting set consists of curved steps rising from below the stage to an oval yard. Medea doesn’t set foot outside this space, while Ben Daniels moves slowly around the outer limits of the stage. Neil Austin’s lighting design and Gareth Fry’s sound design punctuate the invasion of Medea’s space and mind by each male character, and the screams and sirens offstage as Medea’s vengeful plot is carried out heighten the tension and sense of foreboding as we wait for her final act.
Sophie Okonedo is devasting in the title role. Her Medea is heart-breaking as she begs for time from the men who have wronged her, and when wavering between fury and horror at what she has chosen to do. Once decided, Okonedo’s Medea has an otherworldly calm appearance – as the women talk around her, she stands still and silent. It is impossible to take your eyes off her, and then you notice her eyes – darting about with a wild passion as she listens and observes the people watching and judging her. Okonedo’s Medea is so quick-witted, fierce and funny that it is hard to fathom what she saw in Ben Daniel’s posturing Jason as he mansplains why none of this is his fault. Daniels portrays all the male roles expertly, with slight costume tweaks and a change of accent. His entitled Jason is a wonderfully judged portrayal of the weaknesses of a “strong” man, and he is icy cold as the gruff patrician Creon. The lightness he brings to the stage as the foppish Aegeus is a welcome break from the mounting pressure, until he sows the seeds of her final revenge. None of the speaking characters he portrays are quite as intimidating or as full of the potential for violence as his ever-circling presence onstage – menacingly hypnotic.
The murders take place offstage, with the deaths of Jason’s new bride and her father described in satisfyingly bloody detail, while the sound of Medea killing her sons below the stage will haunt you. There is no escape for Medea on a chariot from the gods here – instead the play ends with her calmly standing tall watching Jason brought low literally and figuratively as he lies weeping (for his sons or his loss of status?) on the wet floor. This passionate and stylish production is another triumph for @sohoplace