Medea ★★
The Greek tragedy ‘Medea’ reimagined
A scorned wife, an unfaithful husband, and a family that has shunned her—these are the ingredients that comprise the story of Medea, a classic tale of violent domestic vengeance. Adapted through centuries where playwrights often ponder Medea’s harnessing of her female rage, one retelling always differs from another. These vary from one-actor shows to large-scale productions, but one aspect that always has to land is the ability to get audiences to sympathize with a morally dubious woman.
In Bard in the Botanics’ interpretation of Medea playing at the Traverse Theatre, this adaptation fails to strike a sympathetic tone with its central figure, and its limp production struggles to engage its audience. The main culprit for this, unfortunately, is the direction.
As a refresher to the unfamiliar, Medea is Jason’s (of the Argonauts) wife, someone who has dutifully guided him to finding the fleece and leaving Iolcos. She also sired twins. Jason then has an affair with a princess, the daughter of the king of Creon.
The group at Bard in the Botanics retains this element of the story, framing Medea as a complicated figure whose suffering is not helped by a town that harasses her. The king himself demands that she leave quietly by nightfall. The production chooses to present this final day while she plots her bloody vengeance and gives in to madness.
One aspect that is successful in this production is its central performance of Medea herself. Nicole Cooper’s exhilarating performance blends conventional theatrics with the nuance of a slow-building female rage. Her quieter moments of guilt are welcome in a script that leans into melodrama. Cooper works the moments in between the words, where the script’s explicit language comes off bluntly; she finds the moments to sit in silence.
Indeed, the acting here provides buoyancy to the heaviness of the script. Isabelle Joss (Nurse) strikes a balance of innocence and silent witness to Medea’s actions, her pleas of mercy going unheard. Johnny Panchaud (Jason) delivers an atypical study of the infidelious husband, raising his voice only once; his conveyance of Jason’s guilt is subtle.
Much of the direction, however, distracts from what could have been an interesting character study. Lights flash at the audience in moments of direct address, which feel out of place. Inconsistencies arise when the lights come on in these sections or sometimes remain dark. There isn’t a need to illuminate the audience to signal when they are being spoken to.
The opportunities to use sound aren’t taken. Sound design can be an effective tool for conveying atmosphere, but a cliched, eerie score does not offer a new perspective or juxtaposition that is intriguing.
Ultimately, this is a mundane retelling of Medea, an adaptation that hints that we should rethink the brutal morality of its protagonist, but one that does not offer a complete vision that feels fresh. While this isn’t necessary in every adaptation of a classical work, one always rues the missed opportunity for something compelling and unique.
More dutiful than dangerous ★★ 2 stars
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