Review: ELECTRA from Seattle Shakespeare Company

Seattle Shakespeare Company is presenting the bloody Greek tragedy "Electra" by Sophocles and adapted by Frank McGuinness.  And let me tell you the tragedy here is most certainly not the quality of the production.

Tightly directed by the always amazing Sheila Daniels, the story is set as somewhat present day (although it's really almost timeless).  The men are in modern dress and ready for battle, or in one case ready for a night on the town, and the women are in peasant skirts and blouses and grand fitted gowns.  But all still with a very Greek feel especially Queen Clytemnestra's toga-esque gown.  But the costumes are not the focal point here and Daniels knows this.  We are here for the words, the intrigue and of course, the blood. 

The story is your basic revenge story.  Electra has been driven to the brink of madness as her adulteress mother Clytemnestra has conspired with now King Aegisthus to murder former King Agamemnon and has driven her brother Orestes into exile.  Orestes comes back with a plot to kill the King and his Mother the Queen.  But part of the plot is to convince everyone, including his sisters Electra and Chrysothemis that he is dead.  Ahh, family.

The cast is powerfully headed up by Marya Sea Kaminski as the titular Electra.  She manages to go from despair to fury to grief to quiet desperation to joy to more fury to victory with stunning resolve and focus and in only 90 minutes.  This role requires a strong female presence and Kaminski shows she is more than up to the task.  It's a powerhouse performance and she has to be exhausted at the end of each night.  But I never once saw her passion for the play or her performance wane.  As the title suggests the play is mostly Electra but I must mention other stand out performances of John Bogar as the murderous King Aegisthus and Darragh Kennan as the vengeance seeking brother Orestes.  Bogar is not in the show until the end but as soon as he swaggers onto stage, he commands it.  And Kennan delivers a stirring performance that matches Kaminski's note for note and is always a joy to watch.  I saw both Bogar and Kennan in Seattle Shakes last production of "Twelfth Night" and they both turn in very different performances here.  Especially Kennan whom I didn't even recognize as having been the amazing Sir Andrew from "Twelfth Night" until I read his bio.  Both are very gifted and versatile actors and I look forward to seeing more of them.

But the major credit here has to go to the brilliant direction of Daniels.  I was fortunate to have seen her "Crime and Punishment" at the Intiman and she proves here that she can really handle heavy shows without fear.  She manages to always keep the pace and pathos going throughout.  And coupled with the very simple yet effective set design of Andrea Bryn Bush (I especially loved the look AND sound of the chain link fences)  and the wonderful cast, Daniels delivers an intense and gripping evening without ever going over the top. And yes, there is blood!

Seattle Shakespeare Company's "Electra" performs at the Center House Theatre in the Seattle Center through January 31^st.  For tickets or information contact the Seattle Shakespeare Company's box office at 206-733-8222 or visit them online at www.seattleshakespeare.org.

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