Greek

Ancient tragedy an IRT triumph

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By Wendy Carson

First, let me say that Greek mythology is my forte and “Oedipus Rex” is a favorite of the tragedies, so I had very high hopes for this production. That said, David Daniel’s recent adaptation of Sophocles’ script, called simply “Oedipus,” exceeded anything I could have imagined.

This timeless drama, superbly directed by Indiana Repertory Theatre playwright-in-residence James Still, is on the IRT mainstage through March 18.

The play begins near the end of the legend and slowly recounts the events that will lead to its tragic conclusion. Oedipus has been doomed to kill his father and marry his mother. Fearing this prophesy, he flees his kingdom for neighboring Thebes, which he saves by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. He becomes King, and the land prospers for many years under his reign.

However, as we come to the start of the play the land is again struggling. Oedipus and his Queen, Jocasta, send her brother, Creon, to the Oracle to tell them the will of the Gods to end their plague. From there, much drama ensues.

Scenic designer Carey Wong gives us a barren stage with the brown hues bearing out the dusty death throes Thebes is suffering. Costume designer Sara Ryung Clement opts for flowing garments that hearken to a desert lifestyle showing what the land has become. The subtle ombre tones highlight their downtrodden plight while also touching on some of the character’s roles. I particularly liked her take on Creon’s garb, showing him as a statesman with an altered modern dress shirt but still a man of leisure with the rest of the ensemble.

Lindsay Jones (sound design) and Mariel Greenlee (movement) choreograph our characters’ actions to help translate the stylizations of the ancient time as well as the religious devotions of the ancient Greeks. Utilizing only percussion instruments, played by Chorus member Jed Feder, the soundscape is both lovely and demanding as the narrative drives it to be.

As for the cast, every performance was sheer perfection. Highlights for me were: Ryan Artzberger’s turn as the Corinthian perfectly brings a much needed touch of light humor to an otherwise grim story. Lisa Wolpe as Tiresias the seer highlights Oedipus’s fatal flaws of hubris and obliviousness. Trieu Tran’s Creon artfully walks the fine line between loving relative, potential suspect, and distant observer. All the rest – Olivia D. Dawson, Jan Lucas, Sola Thompson, and Mary Beth Fisher as Jocasta – beautifully flexed their acting muscles to the height of their skills.

Regarding David Alan Anderson’s role as Oedipus, a man of good heart but doomed by fate and pride, it is so good to see him commanding the stage again. I have been a fan of his acting talents since we first saw him around 20 years ago. My delight in his name being a part of this production was enormous. I am thrilled to say that he brought forth what is his greatest performance that I have ever witnessed. He flawlessly inhabited the character, sparking every emotional note such that he drew the audience into the story as witnesses, not merely observers.

I spoke with some people afterwards; they were all quite moved by this production. Even those who had no prior knowledge of the story felt later that they had known it all their life. This is what great theater is about, and I am proud to have witnessed such a thing of beauty as is being given to us here.

To attend “Oedipus” at the IRT, 140 W. Washington in the heart of Downtown Indianapolis, find tickets and information at irtlive.com.

Our moment and old myths meld in ‘Mojada’

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By John Lyle Belden

“Medea” is one of the most produced tragedies of all time, going back to when Euripides set this mythical woman’s story on a Greek stage in 431 BC. In this past century, the play is often produced through a feminist perspective, a woman in a man’s world driven to dire acts to reclaim herself. To this, contemporary Chicano playwright Luis Alfaro layers on the story of today’s Latinx immigrants, complete with the ancient spiritual energy of the Americas.

Indianapolis Shakespeare Company presents Alfaro’s “Mojada” at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, directed by Maria Souza.

Medea (Erica Cruz Hernandez) makes her living as a seamstress working from her present home in a rapidly developing neighborhood in California. She came here from Zamora, Mexico (deep in the country, west of Mexico City) with Jason (pronounced “Ha-sohn,” played by Christopher Centinaro) and their son, Acan (Jasmin Martinez), as well as a woman only known by the word for a dear aunt, Tita (Isabel Quintero). While Jason works his way up from construction laborer to assistant to Armida (Kidany Camilo), the woman who owns their house, Medea never strays far from her front door, looking to Tita, a curandera (healer), to keep her connected to her old homeland. Neighbor and pastry baker Josefina (Camilo), who sports blond hair and wants to be called “Josie,” encourages Medea to “be of this place,” but she refuses, even as her man – as well as young Acan – spend ever more time at the boss’s luxury estate.

Even without knowing the Greek source material, you can tell this won’t end well.

This production, in the intimate confines of the Phoenix’s Basile Theatre, is bilingual – and at times trilingual – with projected captions on the back wall in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl (Aztec language). This bit of inclusivity and culture aids understanding and context, but works best seen from the stage-front section of seats. The gods and spirits invoked here are of the New World, including sacred animals, the Guaco bird and Monarch butterfly. Tita is our guide in this way, as well as the classic function of Chorus.

While Centinaro, Martinez and Camilo ably play relatable roles of those wishing to assimilate, Hernandez is fascinating as a woman who is both stuck, unable to move from her past, and justifiably stubborn, not wanting to pull off her native culture like an old garment. Quintero nimbly works from sweet to flinty, and ever wise, like anyone’s favorite aunt.

In a flashback scene, we see what these immigrants endured and sacrificed to arrive at this place, and why Medea can’t go home. This may be the most important part of the play, a lesson for those who only know their struggles from a few words in the news, while deepening the reasons for the coming madness.

“Indy-Shakes” chose wisely to open its 2023 season with this hybrid legend, made richer by the contributions of both Euripides and Alfaro, brought excellently to life in – naturally – the Phoenix. Performances of “Mojada” run through March 5 at 705 N. Illinois St., get info at indyshakes.com and tickets at phoenixtheatre.org.

Hero-ing ain’t easy

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By Wendy Carson

We have all heard of Hercules and that he performed numerous “labors” as penance for his past misdeeds. He is always thought of as a noble hero – but what if he was actually a douche?

In “Mad Mad Hercules,” presented by NoExit and Zach Rosing Productions, we see him as a horny, drunk asshole who disrespects everyone and only aspires to become a constellation. To do so, he must complete these labors, which he has no desire to work for. True, he has been tortured and almost killed his entire existence by his reluctant stepmother, Hera. Still, that is no excuse for him being this big a tool.

This being Greek theatre, we have a Chorus to keep things going, fill in exposition, pose as occasional characters in the story and so on. Matthew Altman, Carrie Bennett Fedor, and Devan Mathais do an wonderfully energetic and whimsical job in this case.

Ryan Ruckman portrays Hercules so well, you will fight to keep yourself from punching him out. Nathan Thomas brings great passion to his character, Iolas, who must force Hercules to accomplish those tasks. He had always thought of Hercules as his hero, until he met him.

Beverly Roche is hilarious as Hippolyta, the leader of the Amazons. She also does a great job puppeting Galinthias, who was transformed by Hera into a polecat for helping to birth Hercules.

Speaking of puppetry, Matt Roher is a master at transforming himself into many of the creatures that are essential in the labors. His turn as the Ceryneian Hind is a marvel to behold.

Dena Toler gives a solid turn as the Trisha-Yearwood-idolizing Hera. However, it is her touching portrayal of Echidna, the monstrous mother of the Nemean Lion, that truly shows her amazing depth as an actress.

Josiah McCruiston is delightful as Eurystheus, Ruler of Hercules’s homeland and biggest pain in his ass.

Seemingly underused in the cast is Tony Armstrong as Zeus, the loving father who just can’t keep it in his pants.

The show, written by Bennett Ayres and Directed by Zack Neiditch, is an irreverent and thoroughly enjoyable interpretation of this epic tale. Be sure to catch it before it, too, is but a legend.

Find “Mad Mad Hercules” at the IndyFringe building, 719 E. St. Clair (just east of the Mass Ave./College/St. Clair intersection) in downtown Indianapolis, through May 7. Get info and tickets at www.indyfringe.org.

Review: The price of defying godlike power

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By John Lyle Belden

In the hands of Eclectic Pond Theatre Company, one of Western civilization’s oldest surviving plays truly becomes timeless.

“Prometheus Bound,” attributed to ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, was based on the myth of the Titan who defied the ruling god Zeus and brought fire – and with it, civilizing knowledge – to humankind. For his “crime,” Prometheus was chained to a rock and subjected to daily torture. In the play, he is visited by characters who ask him why he committed the act and to beg for forgiveness.

In the ETC production, playing Friday through Sunday at Wheeler Arts Community Center, Prometheus is the online name of a hacker (played by Bradford Reilly) who worked for the NSA and its director – nicknamed “Zeus,” of course – to develop the all-knowing Firenet. Acting similarly to real-world fugitive Edward Snowden, the online titan makes the secret program public – giving “Fire” to mankind.

He is shackled by Hephaestus (Tristan Ross) and Kratos (Taylor Cox), now represented by the prison warden and guard. The Chorus who questions Prometheus and listens to his soliloquies is a TV reporter played by Ann Marie Elliott. Oceanus, the fellow Titan who begs the prisoner to reconcile with Zeus, is in 2016 his attorney, played by Ross. Cox also takes a second role as Hermes, Zeus’ messenger.

Prometheus also encounters Io (Elysia Rohm), a woman whom Zeus lusted after. In mythology, she was turned into a cow, today she is only called one as an epithet, and is disappeared to a neighboring prison cell.

The classic translation of the Greek drama is kept intact, so to be understandable we must take myth as metaphor, but Reilly manages to communicate well his disdain for a tyrant of any era. Ross, Cox and Elliott, all experienced with Shakespearean dialogue in a modern setting, have no trouble with this material either. I first thought that Elliott in her role smiled a bit much for such serious subject matter, but it works as a portrayal of the cynical nature of today’s media – addressing world-changing news with an incredulous grin. Rohm is effective in making us feel Io’s plight – whether as the maiden pursued by an amorous god, or an inconvenient affair that a man in power can’t let walk free.

To better understand the story and put it in a relatable context, there are several well-produced broadcast news breaks shown on a screen to the side of the simple set of Prometheus’s cell. These were helpful and fit right in with the whole concept of the play.

Director Carey Shea and company have produced an excellent fresh take on an old story, a commentary on the “gods” we may all find ourselves answering to. Find Wheeler Arts at 1035 Sanders St., Indianapolis, near Fountain Square. For information and tickets, see eclecticpond.org.

(Also posted at The Word)