‘Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned’. We know the saying, but do we know the extent that these ‘scorned’ women will go to exact their revenge? In the instance of Medea (Sophie Okenedo), she’ll undertake the ultimate path to revenge in Robinson Jeffers’ adaptation of the shocking original tale from Euripides.
Its premise is simple enough, Medea’s husband Jason (Ben Daniels) has been unfaithful and is to marry another. Unfortunately, it all gets rather complicated for Medea when her rash actions and words leave her no other choice but to be exiled from the city along with her two sons by King Creon.
With the theatres in the round design at the newly developed Sohoplace, a lavish stage and set aren’t an option so designer Vicki Mortimer’s simple set faces us. A table and chairs are immediately discarded in a dramatic outburst at the start from Daniels possibly indicating the household's demise. Bar a few items of clothing for Daniels to wear to change between all the male characters (Jason, Creon, Aegeus and Tutor) there’s no set at all, just the empty stage to command. Though it’s simple, it works. The attention is solely on the characters. What must be said is how the show does so well in doing so little yet so much. It’s never over the top and its minimalistic approach has maximum effect. An interesting but nice surprise was the introduction of the three ladies of Corinth (Penny Layden, Jo Mcinnes, and Amy Trigg). Unbeknown to us three ladies dressed as regular theatregoers sat in the audience and once their cue came, burst into the scene around the audience. As for the two leads, Daniels took charge of every character he was. He embellished the role, adding features to his characters and performance choices to show clearly who he was. His final downfall as Jason was heartbreaking yet we couldn’t take our eyes off him. Another part of Daniel's character, though this is also down to Dominic Cooke’s clever direction was to take Daniels out of the circle on the stage, immediately taking him out of the scene as he slowly paces around in circles adding or removing the next item to transition into a new character.
As for the titular role, Okenedo is magnetic as Medea. A raw and emotional performance has us hanging on her every word. She commands the space and constantly has us in anticipation of her next move. From start to finish she’s nothing short of superb. All in all, it’s a blistering 90-minute show that packs a punch and leaves you stunned. Dominic Cooke has directed a brutal take on the original tragedy that remains as shocking as ever.
Review by George Butler
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Stalls, F26 | Price of Ticket: £55
