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Oedipus Retold

Directed by Robert Gillespie
Performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre in 2014

Oedipus The King

After Oedipus Tyrannos by Sophocles, adapted by Jeremy Kingston
Cast
Oedipus: Tom Shepherd
Kreon: Jack Klaff
Jocasta/Messenger: Clare Cameron
Shepherd: David Shaw-Parker
Priest/Corinthian: Steve Watts
Citizen 1: Judi Scott
Citizen 2: Luke Hornsby-Smith

Oedipus At The Crossroads

By Jeremy Kingston
Cast
Oedipus: Tom Shepherd
Laius: Jack Klaff
Shepherd: David Shaw-Parker
Tiresias: Richard Earthy
Young priest: Luke Hornsby-Smith
Soldier: Clare Cameron

A glorious opportunity to debate to what extent we are powerless against the inevitable forces of Fate, as viewed by Sophocles around 400BC, in an imaginative retelling of Oedipus Tyrannos by Jeremy Kingston performed alongside Jeremy’s original work, Oedipus At The Crossroads.

In Ancient Greece so many things have either no explanation, or a number of equally valid explanations, that the idea of man’s destiny being in the lap of the gods can work in several ways. It keeps people in line, checking their behaviour; it’s a help for living the right life, and of course, kings can exploit it to bully, as can religious leaders, businessmen and soldiers.

The story of Oedipus The King is widely celebrated, but what would have happened if King Laius and Queen Jocasta hadn’t listened to the Oracle and instead, had kept Oedipus at home and brought him up to be a nice normal little royal prince? And how on earth was he persuaded to kill his father and marry his mother within a few days? You can read more on this in Are You Going to do That Little Jump? – The Adventure Continues

“Beautifully insightful, with each adaptation complementing the other. Not just for the avid classicist, this production is a delight through and through… Witty, intelligent, and refreshing. An outstanding ensemble…
The Upcoming

“An outstanding ensemble cast that works in unison giving full-blooded performances… Jack Klaff is electrifying in his intensity… a satire on religion as biting and funny as Monty Python’s Life of Brian… Oedipus Retold raises questions about fate and destiny with intelligence and wit”

Entertainment Focus

“Tom Shepherd is a considered, no-frills Oedipus…Clare Cameron’s report of how the king finds his mother/mate hanging, ‘turning’, is given with depth and simplicity”

FT

“Kingston has come up with a splendidly anarchic tale… It is a brilliant diversion and the performances, under Robert Gillespie’s direction are splendid with Jack Klaff coming into his own as Laius. Shepherd dazzles in both plays… a most rewarding, stimulating piece of theatre… thoughtful, beautiful and funny”

Reviewsgate

“The direction by Robert Gillespie provides tight and absorbing drama”
The Public Reviews

“The writing is witty and intelligent… a clever, irreverent new spin on a classic”

Everything Theatre