Skip to main content
Little Jump
Menu
  • Home
  • Keep It in the Family
  • Robert Gillespie
    • What I did, when
  • Tales from the Green Room
  • Horn of plenty
  • Jane Nightwork Productions
    • Shaw’s Women
    • Oedipus Retold
    • Making Dickie Happy
    • Love, Question Mark
    • Portia
    • The Red Baron
  • Contact
  • twitter facebook youtube
  • Home
  • Keep It in the Family
  • Robert Gillespie
    • What I did, when
  • Tales from the Green Room
  • Horn of plenty
  • Jane Nightwork Productions
    • Shaw’s Women
    • Oedipus Retold
    • Making Dickie Happy
    • Love, Question Mark
    • Portia
    • The Red Baron
  • Contact

© 2021 Little Jump. All Rights Reserved

Close Search

Oedipus at the Crossroads

 
 
1
1

These two echoes of ancient classical warfare represent theatre productions inspired by a brilliant, comic rewriting – by Jeremy Kingston – of the sad, old tale of poor young Oedipus. The poor lad’s mum and dad listened to the mumblings of a religious oracle and put their precious baby son and heir out on a mountain to die.

Oedipus at the Crossroads was so successful in its first incarnation at the King’s Head Theatre that I looked for ways of producing it in a double bill with Sophocles’ original tragedy, Oedipus Tyrannos (or Oedipus the King). It took a long time, because it takes longer to get things on when you have no power – and you are using your own money.

We had our first go at it at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington and then, with a fully professional cast, made a very decent fist of it at the Tristan Bates theatre in 2013 – Natalie Haynes dropped in and at one of her talks, which I attended, said she liked it – I’m delighted to say. She mentioned, in particular, that in Crossroads, when Oedipus and his dad meet they have a chat – instead of trying to murder each other.  

These garishly daubed bits of cheap plastic standing in for proper bronze props took their punishment remarkably well through the choreographed fight we staged.

  • Previous Project
Share Share Share Pin

Welcome to Aladdin’s cave

This is a site for nosy people, for explorers. We will continue to make the site richer and richer, with new TV and film clips, behind-the-scenes insights into stage shows, and never-before-seen recorded and filmed comedy and drama. Keep coming back for the new stuff. We hope you’ll find it both entertaining and interesting.

About my new book

I’ve spent 70 years as an actor, writer and director, and Are You Going to do That Little Jump? The Adventure Continues is stuffed full of backstage stories: about the sitcoms I was in – Keep It in the Family, Porridge, Rising Damp, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Reggie Perrin, and dozens more; about my forays into live theatre – from irksome rep, to risky Fringe, to the spine-tingling RSC and treacherous, seductive Broadway. And it’s right up to date with recent movies – Lost in London and Peterloo.

BOOK PAGE

© 2025 Little Jump. All Rights Reserved | Website design: tcecreative.co.uk

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube