Electra/Persona at the National Theatre review: Strong performances can't save this misstep

Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and her Tár co-star Nina Hoss give raw and fine-grained performances in a mashup that refuses to mesh here. The first half of Benedict Andrews’ show is a modern-argot interpretation of the rage and grief Agamemnon’s daughter feels toward Clytemnestra, the mother who murdered him. The second adapts Ingmar Bergman’s determinedly enigmatic 1966 film where the personalities of a famous, dumbstruck actress and her chatterbox nurse begin to merge.

At each performance Blanchett and Hoss choose which of the paired roles they will play with the toss of a coin. Beyond this tension-ratcheting gimmick, it’s hard to see what connects the two stories. Both are loosely about a woman compelled and repelled by her mirror image. By this logic, you could pair either with a stage version of Ab Fab, but that wouldn’t have quite the same aura of intellectual clout.