National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Medea is a moving interpretation of a timeless Greek tragedy. It is also, easily, the best theatre production I’ve ever seen.
Medea the story has always been about the horror of betrayal and revenge; the destruction of lust; and the power and terror of women rising up.
When the chorus of women emerged from behind and among the audience, speaking in unison, with one voice, telling Medea of their universal woes of love, loss and oppression, it sent chills down my spine.
There are hundreds of thousands of papers dedicated to unraveling the nuances of Medea as a character and as a story, and it’s not worth analysing the possibilities in a theatre review.
However, the fact that each character and nuance sprang into vivid life on stage is a testament to the sheer power and talent of the National Theatre Scotland crew.
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The actress playing the titular role in particular completely stole the show. When she spoke, the entire room held their breathe. She animated the fascinating enigma of Medea with every expression, movement and word. She entirely embodied the ancient and timeless pain and rage of so many women.
I was also impressed that the script was shaped into a recognizable Scottish dialect that made it feel local and personal. I think it gave both the actors and audience what felt like ownership and authority over this century’s old Greek tragedy.
There’s so much that could be said of the characters and the performance. I was immersed from start to finish. When my friend and I left the theatre, we were both gushing about every aspect: the sound, the characters, the effects, the actors, and more.
At first, I questioned the layout of the main stage theatre. There was an elevated, rust coloured stage shaped like a T thrusting out into the standing audience. Although I initially groaned about being on my feet for so long, I actually found myself more immersed and engaged in the performance.
When I looked around the audience during the show, I could see so many people with expressions of horror, pain, anger playing across their faces. It was almost as though their expressions were mimicking the drama on stage. I don’t think a single member of the audience was unmoved.
The show’s sound design was extremely well done. At times, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the percussion instruments directly above the stage in the building’s rafters. A single musician flawlessly timed each and every drum beat and sound effect.
Instruments like Tibetan singing bowls were used to produce otherworldly humming, vibrations as well. There couldn’t have been a better sound design to help set the atmosphere.
I can’t heap enough praise on these actors and this production. I would recommend anyone and everyone to get tickets to see this show of love, loss, lust, revenge and horror.
More information about Medea and National Theathre Scotland can be found here.
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