Medea Gosperia – London, The Cockpit

Writer: Euripides

Libretto: Kay Hammond

Director: Joseph Charles

Musical Director: Sam Bergliter

Medea Gosperia promises much – ‘a new musical experience,’ according to the programme, which blends styles of gospel, opera, jazz and the type of reggae known as lovers rock. Some of its small cast are highly experienced singers from the world of opera or musical theatre. In addition, Euripides’ tragedy Medea is given ‘a vibrant Caribbean backdrop’. But the issues with the production start here. Other than a pleasing medley of Bob Marley songs at the start, and the first chorus number a sort of modest disco set against a backdrop of short palms, there is little to suggest why the story has been transported from the Aegean.

And it’s not an easy story to tell. To prepare us for Medea’s inexplicable slaughter of her two sons at the end of the play, this murder is mimed at the start, the suggestion being that the prophetic Medea can foresee what she will do. In the familiar story, Medea is motivated by revenge on the duplicitous Jason, who abandons her to marry Creon’s daughter, Glauce.

It takes a long time to get to this point in order to allow for a variety of musical numbers. By and large, they are disappointingly similar in nature. With such talented opera singers in the cast, one might hope for something powerfully operatic. But mainly the music leans to easy jazz with some contrasting reggae beats. There is no programme credit for a composer, but we are told ‘the music composition is a collaboration of the musicians and singers’ and that ‘singers have determined their vocal lines according to the libretto and their characters’. This suggests, as indeed is evident, that there is a lack of overall musical vision. The one dominant four-note theme is so regularly repeated as to reduce it to banality. The libretto by Kay Hammond is certainly easy to follow, but the rhyming couplets (‘A leopard doesn’t change its spots/ it’s time to join the dots’) again tend to diminish any possible tragic impact.

Stand out performer is Natasha Agarwal as Medea. She has a wonderful voice and powerful stage presence. Amanda White’s Nurse is a likeable musical presence, and the older male characters (Alistair Scott as the Tutor and Tom Murphy as Aegeus) add much-needed vocal strength. The contrasting voices of Oscar Castellino and Sandeep Gurrapadi make for convincing characterisation as Creon and Jason.

Perhaps this show might fare better at Arcola’s Grimeborn Festival. Out of context at the Cockpit, it seems to leave the audience baffled.

Runs until 20 July 2024