Review - An Oresteia: He Had It Comin'

"Men like women with character," is the sisterly advice a muddied, snarling, grief-stricken and murderously-crazed Elektra gives to pretty little Chrysothemis in Ann Carson's wildly clever adaptation of the ancient Greek story of bloody family doings titled An Oresteia. Growled in all seriousness by the fabulously bitter Annika Boras, the line got a huge laugh the afternoon I caught Classic Stage Company's crackling good premiere production; the swiftest five hours of theatre I've enjoyed in a long, long time.

As suggested by the title, this is not exactly a translation of The Oresteia, the trio of plays by Aiskhylos dramatizing the infidelity and homicide among family member of the House of Atreus. (In brief, Klytaimestra is pissed at her husband, King Agamemnon, for sacrificing their daughter, Iphigenia, to the gods as insurance for winning the Trojan War. She plans to kill him on his return home and in the meantime has been sleeping with his cousin, Aegisthus. The fun begins when Agamemnon arrives with his new mistress, Kassandra, and things really heat up when their daughter, Elektra - who resents her mom's infidelity - and son, Orestes - who'll do anything for his dear sister - enter the picture.) Instead, Carson begins with Aiskhylos' opener, Agamemnon, then, as these ancient Greek playwrights all wrote about the same things anyway, continues with Sophokles' Elektra and finishes with Euripides' Orestes. (CSC offers the first two plays as one performance and the third as a separate showing, or you can see all three in a weekend marathon.)

Without delving into spoof or camp, Carson offers a fast-moving, contemporary-sounding text that mixes dark humor ("That is what family is for; fighting enemies to the death.") with mood-lightening spots of anachronistic silliness (sunbathers in 1940's style swimsuits smile for a Polaroid camera by saying "Orestes"). The hot-looking cast is dressed to impress in Oana Botez-Ban's sexy (though not revealing) outfits that are mostly modern but sometimes suggest the ancient. As the audience enters, the actors are already busy trying to wash the blood off of Riccardo Hernandez's set, which is primarily a high wall of unpainted wood sporting many actor-revealing doors. While the production is not exactly tension-filled, it's extremely entertaining.

The first two parts, co-directed by Brian Kulick and Gisela Cardenas are rather straightforward in style and are highlighted by two attention-grabbing performances. Stephanie Roth Haberle is a deliciously arrogant Klytaimestra, strutting around the stage in high red pumps (orange for poolside) and a regal manner like a cougar surveying her domain. Annika Boras, exceptionally detailed in voice and expression, truthfully connects with Elektra's anguish, making lines like, "At what point does the evil level off in my life?" all the more funny.

The mood takes a sharp turn toward downtown sensibilities in the third part (directed by Paul Lazar, associated directed and choreographed by Annie-B Parson) which has Elektra delivering an expository speech as if she were a strung out coffee house poet. Mickey Solis' Orestes, who had been playing it pretty bland up to now, is steeped in his own psychological funk until his Uncle Menelaos (a coolly intellectual Steve Mellor) helps bring his madness to the forefront. Dan Hurlin and Karinne Keithley make up a two-person chorus that intensely speaks commentary into microphones when they're not doing needlepoint and David Neumann scores with a sort of 11 o'clock number as a eunuch Trojan slave who sings in the style of Leonard Cohen.

Now, if someone can just explain to me why Elektra can apparently walk on water, I'd be a happy man.

Photos by Joan Marcus: Top: Mickey Solis and Annika Boras; Bottom: Stephanie Roth Haberle

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Hey Jekkies, the momentum and the moment are back in rhyme on June 15th as SAW Theatricals/Sarah Melissa Rotker in association with Deborah Blumenthal, Stephanie Leaf, and Phillip Pallitto present a one-night concert production of Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde for the benefit of the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Robert Petkoff will star in the title roles with Brooke Sunny Moriber as Emma and Jennifer Hallie Rosen as Lucy.

Now, I know the words "benefit performance" usually mean pretty steep ticket prices but this recession friendly concert will only run you $15-$20. And if that leaves you with some bucks to spare, you may want to hop over to the benefit party to help raise funds for the production. That's this Sunday night at 7:30pm at one of my favorite haunts, The Irish Rogue. There's a $15 cover charge, a cash bar (I'm told fans under 21 may attend but obviously will have to stick to the soft stuff) and yes, a screening of the Jekyll and Hyde DVD featuring the one, the only, the Hasselhoff.

You may not sit forever with the gods but you're bound to make a few friends who share you showtune obsession.

Full info is at ethicaljekyll.com.