OEDIPUS COMPLEX GOODMAN THEATRE
WHEN Through 6/3: Wed 7:30 PM, Thu 2 and 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM
Ion
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
The Goodman Theatre’s riveting Oedipus Complex and a fine storefront revival of Doolittle’s neglected adaptation of Euripides’ Ion both focus on the need to confront the conflicted relationship with one’s parents and one’s god–the people who gave us life and the force that guides destiny and death. The heroes of these plays seek to know themselves by probing the disturbing facts of their parentage and facing the unconscious feelings those facts stir. These two productions also bring fresh energy to the ancient legends.
In keeping with the tradition of classical Greek theater, this production involves little onstage action. People sometimes physically interact–for example, Oedipus reacts angrily to the words of the blind, lame prophet Teiresias, wrestling with the old man in his wheelchair. But the power of Oedipus Complex lies in its storytelling. As the characters recount the events that expose Oedipus’ secret sin–often in extended passages of choral speaking–their richly textured, beautifully blended voices take on the incantatory power of a religious ritual. (Kudos to vocal coach Linda Gates.) The rhythmically charged text is delivered with thrilling urgency by a first-rate cast led by Nick Sandys as Freud, Ben Viccellio as Oedipus, Roderick Peeples as his uncle (and successor) Kreon, Jeffrey Baumgartner as Teiresias, and Patrick Clear and Bradley Armacost as two shepherds who reveal the anguishing facts of Oedipus’ history. James Schuette’s sleek, austere set–black risers on a checkerboard stage–creates a somber dreamscape for the haunting tale.
