The online squib about Regent University's production of Medea describes Euripides' play "as the classic tale of a woman scorned." Well, yes, I suppose, if killing one's own children for revenge on a philandering husband counts as a typical response to his scorn.
The staging was, as usual, excellent. No unnecessary props. A solid chorus and nurse. Tabitha Ray was superb as as Medea. Zachary Bortot was a bit young for an over-the-hill Jason (of the Argonauts fame) but there's not much he can do about that. I found the end, when Medea is to be whisked away to Athens in the chariot of Helios, a bit confusing. Medea's disappearance behind the stage seemed to suggest that director Derek Martin was unwilling to follow the play through to its original end. The voice-over quoting Proverbs 14:12/16:25), while not inappropriate, likewise suggests that Martin was concerned that the typical Regent audience might have found the unadorned version too discomfiting.
A woman scorned and vengeful? Indeed. But let's not miss the nature of oath-taking and the dire consequences of oath-breaking. Perhaps a concluding reference to Psalm 15:4 would have been even more appropriate.
The staging was, as usual, excellent. No unnecessary props. A solid chorus and nurse. Tabitha Ray was superb as as Medea. Zachary Bortot was a bit young for an over-the-hill Jason (of the Argonauts fame) but there's not much he can do about that. I found the end, when Medea is to be whisked away to Athens in the chariot of Helios, a bit confusing. Medea's disappearance behind the stage seemed to suggest that director Derek Martin was unwilling to follow the play through to its original end. The voice-over quoting Proverbs 14:12/16:25), while not inappropriate, likewise suggests that Martin was concerned that the typical Regent audience might have found the unadorned version too discomfiting.
A woman scorned and vengeful? Indeed. But let's not miss the nature of oath-taking and the dire consequences of oath-breaking. Perhaps a concluding reference to Psalm 15:4 would have been even more appropriate.
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