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MEDEA By Jeremy Menekseoglu Produced by Dream Theatre 556 W. 18th St. Chicago, IL Tickets: 773-552-8616 or www.dreamtheatrecompany.com, $15 Thu-Sat at 8:00, Sun at 7:00 Running time is 1 hour 45 minutes with one intermission Through August 24th Hell Hath No Fury. . . Dream Theatre Artistic Director Jeremy Menekseoglu’s new play based on the story of Jason (Menekseoglu) – as in the Argonaut – and his witchy wife, Medea (Rachel Martindale), opened last week in the company’s smart new digs on 18th Street. No one is more skilled than Menekseoglu at bringing Greek tragedy to life through innovative re-interpretation. This script is yet another example of his scholarly and artistic talent. In his version of the Medea story it is children in the middle of a divorce so nasty that it would nauseate tabloid readers who are center stage. Jason definitely done her wrong – and is ultimately blamed by Menekseoglu for Medea’s bloody deeds – but this Medea is a calculating, bloodthirsty Mommie Dearest on crack.
You don’t need to know the story to enjoy this play, but in a nutshell it goes like this: In his youth Jason was exiled and sent off to a distant land to fetch the Golden Fleece. There he meets the king’s daughter Medea and falls in love with her. She conjures up all manner of evil in order to help Jason get the fleece and the two of them escape with it leaving a pile of corpses in their wake including Medea’s own brother. Every time Jason is in peril, Medea kills whatever is vexing her man. Years later she is not a happy camper when Jason dumps her for a younger virgin princess and that’s where this play begins. Jason has thrown Medea out and she is living in a hovel on the outskirts of Corinth with the couple’s twin boys, Mermerus (Bill Gaines) and Pheres (Giau Truong). Anna Weiler’s costumes and Menekseoglu’s sound design suggest a late 40’s Americana which attempts to connect the ancient tragedy to more contemporary experience. It’s an interesting take that puts the myth in a different light. Usually Medea’s murder of the boys (sorry, if you didn’t know this was coming) is explained as a way of getting back at their father, but Menekseoglu presents a different motive: The children are what came between Medea and her man. They are to blame for the dissolution of the marriage and Medea will do anything – really anything – to get Jason back. This is much more than a simple re-situating of the play in the modern era, however. The play’s ostensible setting remains the same (ancient Corinth) and elements of Greek tragedy (a chorus of ominous spirits, magic potions, interfering gods, etc.) abound. At its core Menekseoglu’s MEDEA remains a faithful production of a classic tragedy, albeit one that is reinterpreted.
Martindale delivers a powerful portrayal in the title role and Menekseoglu is even and believable as the hero, soldier and coward. The speaking duties of the boys are smaller, but Gaines and Truong each find their moments to shine. One scene in particular in which Mermerus stands up to his father gives the audience a glimpse of what Gaines the actor can do. Fine performances notwithstanding, Mermerus and Pheres are difficult characters to accept. There is a huge ambiguity regarding their age, at times being treated as little boys and at other moments seeming more adolescents on the brink of manhood. It’s a murky part of the play that lends confusion to what is otherwise a coherent interpretation of the myth. Menekseoglu’s use of the chorus – sadistic girls all, in this instance – is also overdone. There are six of them, but their individual development is weak and they have surprisingly little business to attend to for spirits who are constantly about. On the other hand, they provide a vehicle for Medea to directly address the spirits that are driving her toward tragic end and to assert that she is in control and will not be carried along by unseen fates. It is one of those elegant touches that distinguish Dream Theatre’s work with ancient drama. MEDEA is not a show for everyone, but for a certain audience it is definitely a worthwhile experience. Menekseoglu’s skill at balancing the cerebral and classic with the duty to entertain is singular and this show will do nothing but further his growing reputation. MEDEA lacks the dark power of some of Dream Theatre’s earlier productions, but at $15 it belongs on the connoisseurs’ list of best theatre bargains in town. Recommended Randy Hardwick Date Reviewed: July 27, 2008 |
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