Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: When Ted Pappas returned to Greece last summer he took "Electra" with him. "I studied it in Greek under an olive tree on my property," says Pappas, who is directing the Pittsburgh Public Theater production of "Electra" that begins performances Thursday at the O'Reilly Theater, Downtown. "Speaking the lines out loud on the hillside gave me a new understanding of the reach of the story and its language."
Thursday, September 29, 2011
An epic 'Electra' takes the O'Reilly stage
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: When Ted Pappas returned to Greece last summer he took "Electra" with him. "I studied it in Greek under an olive tree on my property," says Pappas, who is directing the Pittsburgh Public Theater production of "Electra" that begins performances Thursday at the O'Reilly Theater, Downtown. "Speaking the lines out loud on the hillside gave me a new understanding of the reach of the story and its language."
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I cannot wait for Electra at the Public. More or less because it means all the seasons are starting downtown. I am planning on seeing as many of the shows downtown that I can, because they are fun and interesting (usually). I am interested to see 'Electra' in that space because it is so intimate and I cant wait to see what they have done with the space. However, normally I do not appreciate Greek theater that much. But I have a feeling that this can be the start of a loving relationship with it...maybe.
I saw Electra this past Thursday and it was a very OK production. The house was barely half-full on opening night which was a bit strange. If you have ever seen a Greek play at a regional theater you've seen the Public's production of Electra. Minimalistic set, very ritualistic drum sound design, a costume design that could have fit into any pre-Victorian time period and an expressionistic lighting design. (I get it, the scrollers are all red here because they're killing someone offstage.) What struck me the most was the convention of the chorus and how out of place next to Catherine Eaton's Electra. She was a tour-de-force hitting on Electra's rage, fear, and pathos quite well. When they tried to comfort her or stop her, you knew it was going to be unsuccessful. You can't catch a deluge in a paper cup and the chorus was totally alienated by Eaton's performance. But I felt with such a strong lead role how else can you play it? I wonder if perhaps Greek plays just don't bode well in our time. We're used to seeing plays and stories with much smaller stakes. Greek tragedy no longer instills the pity and fear it did thousands of years ago. Instead it draws small crowds and uninteresting design approaches. Put Electra to bed, when she wants to be heard again, she will be.
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