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Oedipus at Colonus
THEATER REVIEW Classic Greek tragedy brings
thunderous applause to Chance May 17, 2004 Oedipus at Colonus is the third and final installment of the Greek trilogy written by Sophocles, one of the giants of the genre, in the definitive Robert Fagles translation. Now in its sixth season, the Chance is sampling uncharted territory for many young actors with this intriguing choice of an ancient classic. The true sign of a masterpiece is its power to endure, and Oedipus did indeed, both in his own peregrinations in exile before returning to this neighboring Athenian locale to die, and in the two and a half millennia old telling of his tale with its fresh cast, all of whom will live most of their lives in the third millennium. Before Christianity and our common era, Greek mythology governed the civilized world with its plethora of deities, heroes and villains, whose idiosyncratic, brave or evil doings explained the rational and irrational in the absence of a scientific method and knowledge. An aging Oedipus is masterfully played by Ventura Alvarez. The old man returns to the Athens area with his faithful daughter Antigone, Amy Oldham, who is also his sister due to his incestuous relationship with his mother for which he is not responsible. Both are wearing rags as they reach holy grounds near bucolic woods. They are met by a frightened messenger, Meredith Young, also the choreographer for the chorus and recognized by Director Joseph Horn at the gala opening night. The messenger consults with elder citizens of Athens, in the form of the traditional chorus, with Angel Felix, Megan Fox, Colette Opincar and Jenelle Smith led by Mona Butsuhara. A regal king Theseus, Sean Hannaway, promises aid after hearing Oedipus's plight and plea for permission to stay in anticipation of his impending demise. He is also reunited with daughter Ismene, Clarissa Pitts, doubling as costume designer. Rival King Creon, Michael Irish, has only scorn for the old man, and kidnaps his daughters. With Theseus's intervention, they are safely returned. The second act brings the arrival of arrogant Polynices, Casey Long, one of Oedipus's two feuding sons who are on the evil side along with the fate of the city of Thebes. The oracle having predicted the outcome of the battle for the city based on the favors of the father, the son hypocritically comes to pretend to redeem himself. The old man does not fall dupe to the ploy, however. All is well that ends well if death is liberation from earthly suffering, whether from physical ailment or guilt or any other cause of distress. In subliminating his fate, Oedipus has in fact redeemed himself and Theseus and his daughters are right to show compassion toward him. As Zeus unleashes his malevolent fury toward the mortals in great bolts of lightning and deafening peals of thunder, Oedipus departs for life eternal, where he will join other demiurges, having earned his place in the pantheon along with the best. Pitts’s elegant classical costuming of the chorus and King Theseus contrasts with the modern garb of the other characters. The simple set and traditional masks give an aura of deep mystery further brought out by the intricate vocal choral parts and movement patterns, playing off against Oedipus's blindfold and aimless groping. Parallels to contemporary life abound to validate this piece, with ancient Greek civilization once the epitome of democracy and culture, and our own American society with its Statue of Liberty also once welcoming all the dejected to her shores and into the bosom of her fold. With the Olympic Games returning to their birthplace in just a few months, Greek culture will be showcased for the very roots of sportsmanship which were rebirthed into the modern games by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. Long live laurel wreaths! To this day, questions of justice, responsibility and free choice are important to all of us in civilized societies, but often flawed and flaunted even with the best of intentions for fairness. Oedipus paid the price for a seemingly heinous crime he did not know he was perpetrating, the revolting mother son incest scenario. Yet, he had the fortitude to accept that a price had to be exacted for justice to be rendered. America considers itself at the apogee of democratic goodwill, and yet much of the rest of the world is far from sharing this vision. Youthful Director Joseph Horn composed the music and designed set and sound. Already a veteran of Chance productions, we look forward to more enchanted evenings from his masterful stroke.
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THEATER ARTICLE Mything Around May 27, 2004 It doesn’t take a Joseph Campbell to look to primordial or prehistoric sources for some kind of context in a world that increasingly feels like it lacks all meaning. And so when it comes to theater, the one performance medium that was truly born in the age of the great myths, we have three of the county’s top storefront companies opting for plays with a Greek bent in these times of war, pestilence and the Patriot Act. The Chance Theater is producing Oedipus at Colonus, the lesser-known second part of the towering trilogy Sophocles wrote about the flawed king who reigned during a time of war and plague brought on in large part by his own stupid decisions. This weekend, the Hunger Artists closes an updating of Euripides’ Medea called The Medea Project, a play that isn’t about global conflict as much as the personal conflict that can drive a person to acts of desperate fury. And the Insurgo Theater Movement is mounting a 1960s musical based on Superman. And before you start thinking that’s a Greco-reach, wait until you hear Insurgo big cheese John Beane explain the connection. ... While The Medea Project explores brutality and horror on a personal level, the Chance Theater chose Oedipus at Colonus in large part because of its global implications. This is Sophocles’ Valentine of sorts to his country and his hometown of Colonus. Oedipus, blinded, exiled, in disgrace for the plague he wrought upon his war-torn nation, returns as a kind of conciliatory figure to the battle-weary Thebans. This middle tragedy of his Theban cycle, coming between Oedipus the King and Antigone, was Sophocles’ final play, and there is an air of almost Buddhist acceptance and wisdom to Oedipus. At the end of his life, looking (metaphorically, of course) at the next one, Oedipus realizes that, yep, life sure is fucked and the Gods are a fickle bunch of bastards, but it’s our choices and our decisions that truly matter, something not lost on the folks at the Chance. "We selected Oedipus at Colonus specifically due to the timeliness of the play’s themes and current world events—particularly Sophocles’ presentation of civilization’s choices between justice and injustice, as well as responsibility and irresponsibility, and the consequences of those choices," says Annie Mezzacappa, the theater’s outreach director. ... The Medea Project at Hunger Artists Theatre, 699-A S. State College Blvd., Fullerton, (714) 680-6803. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. $12-$15; Oedipus at Colonus at Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills, (714) 777-3033. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m. Through June 13. $15-$17; Insurgo Theater Movement presents Superman the Musical at Maverick Theater at The Block At Orange, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 634-1977. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. Through June 13. $13-$18.
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THEATER ARTICLE Oedipus at Colonus May 27, 2004 The twin themes of justice and acceptance are at the heart of Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles' final play. The play picks up the life of the legendary character of Oedipus after Oedipus Rex and [before] Antigone. Oedipus has undergone some frightening turns of fate before the play begins, making his choices all the more harrowing. He has been wandering for years in exile until coming to Colonus, and must convince the King and people of Colonus to defend him from his own sons. Joseph Horn directs working from Robert Fagles' acclaimed English translation. [top]
THEATER REVIEW This 'Oedipus' sees the light May 28, 2004 What distinguishes this version of "Oedipus at Colonus" is that it's from the 1979 translation by Robert Fagles, who has translated all three of the so-called Theban plays in the trilogy based on Theban myths that were old even in the time of Sophocles. The Princeton University professor's work in translating ancient Greek dramas is regarded by scholars as among the best. His script for "Oedipus at Colonus" sheds new light on the tragedy, originally written around 401 BC. The Chance's Anaheim Hills production also displays the high degree of compassion with which Sophocles views his characters; their painful moments of revelation and self-discovery are well in evidence in Joseph Horn's finely directed staging. Most everyone is familiar with the story of Oedipus as outlined in "Oedipus the King": Oedipus, the king of Thebes, tries to learn who murdered Laius, the former king, after an oracle declares that a plague now destroying the people of Thebes won't be lifted until the guilty one is cast out. Oedipus gradually learns that he himself is the killer; that Laius was his father; and that the queen, whom Oedipus married and who bore him two daughters, is his mother. To punish himself for his crimes, Oedipus gouges out his own eyes and sends himself into exile. In "Oedipus at Colonus," a now elderly Oedipus (Ventura Alvarez) seeks refuge in the village of Colonus outside Athens, guided by his loyal daughter, Antigone (Amy Oldham). Describing himself as "the wandering, wretched Oedipus," he appeals to the people of Athens and their leader, Theseus (Sean Hannaway), to provide him shelter in the final years of his life. Only after Theseus agrees to protect Oedipus does the story grow more complex: Seeking revenge, Oedipus' brother-in-law, Creon, arrives at Colonus and tries to coerce Oedipus into returning to Thebes. When he fails, he kidnaps Antigone and her sister Ismene, setting up a titanic battle between the armies of Athens and Thebes. The seven surviving tragedies by Sophocles generally reflect a Greece whose men are reasonable and intelligent in a world fraught with dangers such as shifting political alliances or, worse yet, bad luck. In "Oedipus at Colonus," the playwright's sense of fatalism is encapsulated in the single line "No man on earth can escape his fate." And although in director Horn's hands the drama often seems to stall, the Sophocles original is never less than compelling, Fagles' adaptation keeps the momentum from grinding to a halt and the Chance cast delivers performances equal to the gravitas of the material. In a tattered black suit and with a strip of cloth covering his eyes, the barefoot, hollow-cheeked Alvarez is the epitome of degradation. His shock of white hair and sweaty, wrinkled brow attest to the self-imposed torture he has undergone. The way his raspy, bitter voice grinds out Oedipus' words tells us that, though he professes innocence over his actions, Oedipus knows they have doomed him. Oldham's Antigone is a loving caretaker, gentle and painstakingly concerned for her father, suffering right along with him. The role of her sister, Ismene, who has been raised in Athens, is less clearly defined, so Clarissa C. Pitts plays her as taking her cue from Antigone, mirroring her sister's devotion to their wretched father. The difference in their lives is clear: Oldham's face is creased with tension and worry, while Pitts, in her flowing white gown, is pretty and untroubled. Their uncle Creon is the story's villain, and Michael Irish nearly steals the show with his serpentine performance. His shoulders stooped, his voice hissing, he gives lines like "We have ways to make you suffer" a quietly sneering evil. His opposite number is the heroic Theseus, and though Hannaway imbues him with nobility and generosity, the role as written is enigmatic. More clear-cut is Casey Long, dignified and valiant as Polynices, the son who comes to Colonus from Thebes, begs Oedipus to help him retake their city and is rebuffed. Horn judiciously uses bits of music that sounds vaguely ancient and also aptly Greek, and his set - an arch, altar and two stone blocks - is pleasingly simple. Pitts' costume scheme clothes everyone from Athens in classic Greek garb, while those from Thebes wear contemporary clothing - not-so-subtle commentary that the themes the story outlines are universal and timeless. WHERE The Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave.,
Anaheim
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