Writer: Sophokles
Translator: Anne Carson
Director: Daniel Fish
Ancient Greek tragedies with Oscar-winning Hollywood stars taking title roles seem to be flavour of the week in London. Elektra, a bloody tale of revenge, follows the trend. The play was written in c400 BC by Sophokles and it arrives in the West End in a prosaic translation by Anne Carson, with Daniel Fish, a Broadway director who has earned a reputation for reimagining classics, at the helm. So what could go wrong?
Stripped of Captain Marvel’s super powers, Brie Larson is impressivein conveying the tortured anguish of Elektra, a woman obsessed with avenging the murder of her father, Agamemnon. She wails and moans impeccably and conducts her exchanges with the Chorus as if she is addressing a Trump rally, but she finds little else in the character to absorb us.
Larson is supported by a big name cast. Stockard Channing is Clytemnestra, Elektra’s mother and unrepentant murderer of her father alongside her new lover, Aegisthus (Greg Hicks). Marième Die is Chrysothemis, Elektra’s sister and Patrick Vaill is Orestes, their brother who is expected to return home to commit the vengeful act. All are strong, but Fish’s production does not leave room for their characters to become more than one-dimensional. Often, the lead actors are upstaged by the six members of the Chorus, choreographed by Annie-B Parson, singing all their lines a cappella and creating soothing harmonies to contrast with the mayhem around them,
This is a spartan production with plain costumes, designed by Doey Lüthi and a minimalist, often revolving, set designed by Jeremy Herbert. A glaring spotlight which blinds sections of the audience on every revolve is an irritant, as is uneven sound projection caused by some actors speaking into microphones and others not.
Fish seems uncertain about what he wants to achieve. Is he looking to recreate the form of the original staging? Or does he want the play to speak with relevance to modern audiences? The outcome is a production that occupies a no man’s land somewhere between Ancient Greece and 21st Century America. A running time of little more than 70 minutes (no interval) is achieved partly by racing through some pages of dialogue at breakneck speed. Audience members sitting in top-price seats may flinch at the thought of having paid around two pounds per minute for the privilege of watching this.
When focussing firmly on the characters and the storytelling, this is a play that can defy its age and still be a riveting watch, The 2014 production at London’s Old Vic Theatre lingers in the memory. Unfortunately, Fish’s revival is overladen with misfiring gimmicks, while it neglects key elements of the drama. This Elektra is low voltage and its chief asset is its brevity.
Runs until 12 April 2025
The Reviews Hub Score
Low voltage
