Oedipus, Wyndham’s Theatre Review
Reviewed by Annie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The long-awaited return of Robert Icke to the West End has finally arrived, and this time he has taken on the infamous Sophocles’ Oedipus. Having created so many successful reimagining’s of Ancient plays, I had high hopes for Icke’s latest production.
From Ancient Greece to 21st century Greece, Oedipus is a front running political icon, with the play taking place on the eve of the release of poll results. Oedipus is so confident and assured in his honesty and commitment to his campaign, that he promises to release his birth certificate as the poll closes to prove his hard work and dedication, and not that his role is coming from any privileges.
As expected, the play is wonderfully filled with dramatic foreshadowing, not least by the onstage clock counting down to the polls closing, which ultimately is a ticking clock for Oedipus and Jocasta’s lives.
At first, I was a little apprehensive that the contemporary setting was a little too intense but the story quickly settles into its surroundings and is played in one scene, with only on stage scene changes. It really focuses on the insular nature of the storyline, and in turn, heightens the suspense and tragedy even more so.
Mark Strong leads the cast with all the diplomacy, strength and poise you’d expect of a man about to step into power. He is a devoted, adoring husband, a caring father and as a result, this echoes through to his leadership. Oedipus is a proud man, and it’s evident nothing matters more to him than his wife and children. Strong plays the role with such conviction and is filled with hubris, his eventual downfall feels all the more heart-wrenching when it ultimately arrives.
Lesley Manville’s portrayal of Jocasta is beautifully painful. She is poised but has a wicked streak in her, which plays into her traumatic upbringing. Manville is at her best in this production and it’s hard to not be totally absorbed by her performance.
Icke provides excellent justification for the play’s confusing timeline with Jocasta’s painful monologue in which she explains her traumatic past. Manville’s raw emotion in this speech really echoes the eeriness of what is yet to come.
The supporting cast aids the leads excellently, pacing the script and adding necessary plot points in total naiveness. The leading duo seem to have no rush for the clock to tick down, which makes the suspenseful countdown feel even more uncomfortable.
Oedipus is visited by a soothsayer, in this production, portrayed as a blind, homeless follower who can see the future. It is a wonderful modern nod to the ancient tradition of the chorus’s role of foreshadowing the play’s ending. Matching this is Juen Watson, Oedipus’ (adoptive) mother whose hurried manner only presses the time restraints on the play’s catharsis.
I particularly loved that despite taking a contemporary spin on the play, Icke stuck true to tradition in many ways. Many modern productions amend the hero’s death to seem more modern, and to me, it often means the death feels rushed and lacking in anguish. The whole point of this play is to watch the hero’s anagnorisis take over and come to fruition. Icke has understood the horror and uncomfortable nature of the original play’s portrayal of Oedipus’ death (by gouging his own eyes out) and honours this in his adaptation. Again, in antiquity, deaths always happened off stage, and Icke also follows this tradition, with Manville’s death happening behind a curtain before her body is revealed to the audience.
I love nothing more than seeing classic plays being brought into the 21st century and being adapted so that they’re more accessible to audiences, but it is so reassuring to see an adaptation such as this by Icke in which contemporary manners are undertaken yet still tradition is honoured.
There is no doubt to be had that Icke’s legacy is continued by the genius of this production, and sticks to his own founded tradition of taking risks whilst sticking to the original, his plays are quickly becoming their own collection of contemporary plays.
At Wyndham’s Theatre until 4 January 2025.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
