Oedipus review

It would be unfair to do anything other than make my biases clear from the start. Robert Icke's version of Oedipus that completed its run at the Wyndham's Theatre only a few months ago was perhaps the finest production I have seen. It had such a profound impact on me; it felt unbelievably well-crafted and exceptionally acted. It is with regret that the production I review for you now is not Icke's meticulously devised adaptation, but rather the version of Sophocles' tragedy that is currently on show at the Old Vic. 

Ella Hickson directs Rami Malek in the title role, relying heavily on contemporary dance, lighting and sound design. This offering presents as a surface level approach to modernisation, incorporating ideas and techniques indiscriminately, in a way that hindered understanding of the text and suppressed opportunities for heartfelt and complex performances from its cast.  

Malik is no natural stage actor, and never seems to submit fully to the role, it is hard to see him as anything other than 'Rami Malek'. His Oedipus is reserved and statesman-like. Indira Varma puts in a decent performance. Her Jocasta is headstrong, intelligent, and occasionally emotional, sometimes even verging on childish. Much, if not all, of this Jocasta's assertions are in direct antagonism to those of Oedipus, and rarely seen is any romance or intimacy between the pair. The result is when Jocasta is inevitably revealed to be the mother of Oedipus, her devastation can only come off as disingenuous. Malik's Oedipus is seemingly unbothered by the revelation, and his subsequent (off stage) self-eye-gouging seems motivated by a sense of pragmatic duty, as opposed to a delusional coping mechanism in the face of an ultimate trauma. 

Creon (as played by Nicholas Khan) is highly ambitious and powerful, almost intent on overseeing Oedipus' downfall. Although again a little one-note, his performance is perhaps the most interesting of those given here. Cecilia Noble's Tiresias is more comic than one might usually expect, but it is no bad thing necessarily. 

The music and sound design, although excessively loud, I warmed to as the production went on, particularly where it takes on the role of an unnerving, distorted crowd. Rather good too, was the lighting by Tom Visser. It seemed to evoke the work of artist James Turrell and became a kind of abstracted desert sun.

If we ignore the fact that this is supposed to be a production of Oedipus, the dance scenes are by far the highlight. These choreographic and music elements contributed by Hofesh Shechter OBE are not only incredible and unique, but also better convey a sense of emotional intensity than any of the acting performances given. These moments did a somewhat good job of setting the tone, but their implementation ultimately fragmented the narrative, making the story seem like a series of unrelated vignettes.  

Just as I had started to get to grips with the idiosyncrasies and challenging pacing of this Oedipus adaptation it was over. Quickly. This production has some positive elements, but it ultimately reads as a decent contemporary dance show spoiled by a sub-par play. ★★☆☆☆