Location: Transferred from Dublin to London to Brooklyn to Broadway Theatre(s): Abbey Theatre (Dublin); Queens Theatre (London); Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn) Brooks Atkinson Theatre (Broadway) Date: 2000-2002 Director: Deborah Warner Starring: Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter) as Medea
This production of Medea, featuring Fiona Shaw of Harry Potter fame, illustrates just how well ancient Greek productions can be adapted to fit modern themes. According to Ben Brantley in a New York Times review of the production, this Medea accurately and freshly explores modern themes regarding celebrity culture "without ever seeming to warp the spirit of the original." This production opens with a depiction of the nurse seemingly attempting to hide knives and pills from Medea, immediately adding a new dimension to the title character. The chorus, which emerges from the audience, acts like a group of fans eager to watch the actions of the play unfold (a stark contrast to the ancient greek song-and-dance of the chorus). The play itself takes place in a half-finished courtyard, with toys scattered around that the actors use on occasion (Brantley). As can be seen in the pictures, a shallow pool of water decorates the center of the set.
In an interview with Clara Armand, Fiona Shaw discusses the ways in which the production of Medea is a classical play adapted into the modern world. She explains how the play itself can be illustrated in a more modern fashion since it is being introduced to a modern audience with contemporary experiences. It may be difficult to modernize some of the pre-defined plot elements, but she notes that she had a production team that was willing to experiment with different choices to keep the story as whole as possible. Shaw also discusses how she utilizes a bit of humor in her portrayal of Medea in order to make her appear more human-- adding humor to Medea causes her to seem more self-destructive, creating layers of humanity and complexity within the character.
MEDEA: LONDON NATIONAL THEATRE
Location: London, England Theatre: Royal National Theatre Date: 2014 Director: Carrie Cracknell Starring: Helen McCrory (Medea), Danny Sapini (Jason)
While the Royal National Theatre's production of Medea is molded to fit the modern era, it still regains elements of classical Greek theatre. According to Carrie Cracknell, the director of the production, the show needed to have modern influences but it also "needed to have a relationship to a world with gods and curses.... if you rip it completely into a very non-spiritual modernity, you can break the idea structure of the play" (WIlliams). The chorus of women sings and dances in this production, closely resembling the structure of the chorus in ancient Greece. They sing in unison, and their dances become more heightened as the show reaches its climax. The set also showcases the multi-layer interior of a home, with a forest along the back wall-- perhaps representing the private and public spheres of Greek life. According to Charles Spencer of The Telegraph, the second level of the set houses Jason's wedding to the Creon's daughter as well as other images involving the chorus. Cracknell utilizes music in a more modern sense; the band Goldfrapp, an electro-pop and folk bank, provides a live score for the show, which in turn creates a more supernatural feel that underscores the production (Williams).
RACHAEL STIRLING AS MEDEA
Location: Various Locations across the UK Theatre: Citizens Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Northcott Theatre Date: 2012 Director: Mike Bartlett Starring: Rachael Stirling
In this production, Mike Bartlett (the adapter/director) creates a strikingly modern world that is a complete step away from traditional Greek practices-- the costumes are completely modernized, Medea has red hair, and the action takes place in a contemporary two-story house. The book itself has been reworked to reflect a more modern audience and setting, as well. Instead of marrying a younger princess, Jason in this adaptation chooses to marry the landlord's daughter. Medea faces eviction from her home in Britain and only has one son in this adaptation, who he has gone silent after the separation of his parents--Medea struggles to communicate with him (Brown). The basic story is still generally the same, but Bartlett includes new, modern dialogue that widely differs from Euripides. Rachael Stirling, the daughter of Diana Rigg, stars as Medea.
Many critics agreed that this production was almost too modern, often appearing lackluster in comparison to the themes in Euripides' classic. In his review, Mark Brown of The Telegraph explains how the script fails the epic events that take place in the myth-- in this adaptation, Medea talks about "the child's success in his maths test and his participation in the egg and spoon race" after she kills him, which Brown asserts is a "truly absurd and misjudged attempt to juxtapose banality with evil." In addition, Allan Radcliffe of The List explores how the modern language and changes to the story "scuttles the play's impact." While the message may not be as well received, the majority of the critics agree that Sterling plays a convincing and captivating Medea, bringing dark humor and feminist undertones into her portrayal (Radcliffe).
OTHER ADAPTATIONS OF MEDEA IN THEATRE
Multiple adaptations of Medea have been performed in the past few decades:
Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles by Luis Alfaro
Luigi Cherubini's opera Medea, recently performed by the Long Beach Opera in an abandoned warehouse (Punt)
Multiple adaptations of Medea into dance, primarily ballets
Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella, a production at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that weaves three separate stories into one musical event
Redhouse Arts Center's production of Medea in Syracuse, NY, where the chorus upholds the tradition of wearing masks but the production itself is set in the 1950s
Z. Libin's Helene, or, The Jewish Medea, which Yiddish actors often performed at the beginning of the 20th century (Wrigley)