#robert icke

oh, to play at god

OEDIPUS written and directed by Robert Icke after Sophocles: Reportedly some audiences have gasped at the big revelation at the conclusion of Icke’s modernized, very free adaptation of the classic Greek tragedy. My audience in the mezzanine was much more literate. They laughed at some of the play’s foreshadowing, as when someone suggests Jocasta can’t understand Oedipus’ family history because she’s not his flesh and blood. Oddly, there was no response when Jocasta said to Oedipus, “You’ll be the death of me.” Maybe that was just a little too spot on.

Icke has reset the ancient myth in the world of modern politics. Oedipus (Mark Strong) is a foreigner who is campaigning to lead the government with the help of his brother-in-law (John Carroll Lynch) and his wife (Lesley Manville), widow of an earlier leader who had died under mysterious circumstances.  As his victory seems assured, his mother (Anne Reid) insists they have a private conversation, and a member of a psychic cult (Samuel Brewer) predicts that Lynch will soon reign because Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. The psychic is the current play’s only foray into the supernatural. Icke instead presents very real modern equivalents of the events in Oedipus’ back story, with some bearing uncomfortable parallels to contemporary politics. That, of course, underlines the fact that whatever crimes Oedipus may have committed, albeit crimes committed in ignorance, he’s far superior to some contemporary world leaders who believe responsibility only applies to welfare mothers.

This is all tremendously powerful. I’ve taught the Sophocles original more times than I can remember, and I never thought it could move me to tears, but this version did. That’s in large part due not just to Icke’s re-casting of the story and effective stage pictures but also the work of a terrific ensemble. Strong is a powerful actor capable of both fury and great intimacy. There is just a hint early on of the ego that led to his failure to anticipate all the consequences of his actions, but there’s also a fascinating bon homie that in some ways resembles our own President Obama. Manville matches him at every turn and electrifies the audience with a shattering monolog explaining Oedipus’ birth. And Creon is a perfect fit for Lynch, an actor best known for his television work, who here eauals his co-stars for size and emotional depth.