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PHAEDRA

 


When: 29th March, 2023 (Matinee)

Where: Lyttleton Theatre, London

Writer: Simon Stone (after Euripides)

Director: Simon Stone

 


I find the concept of productions within glass boxes really interesting. It often removes the key point of theatre which is for the performers and audience to be in the same space. I've seen it done well - Yerma, also by Simon Stone - and I've seen productions in which it became a hinderance - The Human Voice. In this production whilst I think it created really interesting images and worked with the themes of the production, it also created issues. With a series of different glass boxes and scene changes there were too many blackouts for my liking, and when it was a box change these were long. They tried to fill this with a voiceover from Sofiane's father. This for me was not relevant enough and instead of feeling like a different perspective on the piece, it was clearly just being used as a tool to cover for the scene changes. I also didn't understand why there were so many scene changes in which very little changed on stage, sometimes only characters moving which could have easily been done in view of the audience. The sets were impressive and created some stunning images, particularly the wheat field, but I'm still baffled at how people were getting in and out of the scene and am fully convinced they were ducking down to hide in the grass, but the changing of boxes was just too much of a hassle. I did really like the sets they were well put together with thought about sightlines and the interaction of the performers with the set. I would have preferred it without the boxes, and I still think it would have had the same impact. 

As for the story, it was exciting and compelling. Clearly a Greek story it worked well within a modern context and in this way was able to cover themes, topics and storylines that perhaps a contemporary production would too fearful to explore. The primary storyline of a mothers relationship with her daughter is still prominent in our modern society. However I found the storyline of both mother and daughter sleeping with the same man the most interesting. It created a dynamic between the two characters that I haven't seen before. Yet, I would have liked to have seen this be the main focus, and for the actors to have played with this dynamic further. When it came to a head I hoped that this unsettled family dynamic might be explored further but soon it was clear the storyline would continue to follow the mother. I would have liked the daughters storyline to be have been explored further and the knock-on effects of these relationships with her husband. Saying all this one of the good things about this production is the way in which each character was developed and individualised, a testament to the performers, giving audience members the ability to attach themselves to different characters. I found the daughter the most compelling likely due to my own experiences and contexts. 

I also found the ending contrived, and a little unnecessary. Perhaps it would have made sense if the story was simply about the Helen's relationship with Sofiane and a identity/life crisis, but with the additional levels in this production, I felt there could have been a more interesting ending. This also had practically the same ending as one of Stones previous productions Yerma, in which the lead also stabs herself. It's definitely dramatic and looks great when smeared against a glass wall but I would have loved to see something different.

This was an interesting one as whilst not the biggest fan of Greek Theatre, I do seem to like modern adaptations of Greek Theatre. Overall I really enjoyed this production and found it really intriguing to watch. 

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