A short catch-up on one of the season’s greats (was away..)
Mark Strong is made to play great tragedy: a long powerful body, controlled bleak intelligent features.A figure from any age or culture, fit to express hope and power and belief , and to wrestle before our eyes with conscience and fate.
You don’t necessarily get that on screen, but it took me days to get over his Eddie Carbone at the Young Vic: his stage name is no understatement. It is also a fact – accepted now by this occasional Icke-sceptic – that Robert Icke is born to bring Greek tragedyi to the 21c. After the irritating and pretentious Zeldin attempt on Antigone (https://theatrecat.com/2024/10/09/the-other-place-) last month at the NT, his adaptation and direction here is the real thing.
Icke sets it on election night , as an idealistic newcomer is on the edge of victory. Lesley Manville is his wife Jocasta, relict of the former PM: confident, mature, content in his success and their children. Into the campaign room bursts a scruffy, tattooed man talking of seeing the future (perfect modernisation of Tiresias: he’s be peddling crystals these days). Meanwhile the hero’s old Mum in a raincoat wants a word, and keeps being put off by his officials. And so, off it goes. It’s a slow burn for a while but worth it.
We know that two harsh revelations await Oedipus, and before long see how they might hit him. The first, Laius’ death and his involvement, stirs deep enough. but the second – well, I suppose some very few people may turn up and not know what it is .
Its arfully made credible in a wrenchingly brilliant speech by Manville, but when the real hit comes the final minutes – between June Watson’s Merope and the central pair – rise to a bomb-blast of terror and pity, as Sophocles intended. All the more powerful for being set in a world of real power and conscience, unlike the selfpitying Zeldin last month. Greek Tragedy done properly: respect!
Delfontmackintosh.co.uk to 4 jan
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