Oedipus (Rex) by Sophocles adapted and directed by Steven Berkoff

A theatre in Athens, where Oedipus was first performed c429 BC

It opens with Oedipus sitting at a long table while the flat-capped Chorus writhes around him, freezing into positions which make the whole scene look like a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper with Oedipus in the place of Christ. This writhing and freezing is repeated at intervals throughout the play.

The city of Thebes has been visited by plague. King Oedipus promises to sort this out. An oracle tells him that the gods are angry because the murder of the last King, Laius, is still unsolved. Oedipus swears to find the murderer and kill or banish him. But a prophet suggests that he himself is the guilty party, a claim he dismisses angrily, accusing brother-in-law Creon of plotting a coup by bribing the prophet to make these accusations. His wife, Queen Jocasta, who was the widow of the previous King, soothes ruffled feelings. But as the investigation of this 15 year old murder proceeds, it becomes clear that Oedipus is indeed the killer. But there's another prophecy which forecast that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his own mother which is obviously false because his dad, King Polybus of Corinth, has just died peacefully. Jocasta is scornful of prophets until evidence emerges that Oedipus is not in fact the son of Polybus but of ...

Somehow, brilliantly, this production of a story we all know, of a play that was written over 2,400 years ago, with a Chorus and actors using masks, was suspenseful and powerful and tragic. Its framing as a whodunnit investigating a cold case works perfectly. Jocasta's scorn for prophecies is very modern. The politics works too: Oedipus makes promises to the people, and doubles down on them; Creon, who comes on stage doing a slow Greek dance, is perfect as a man jockeying for power; his final speech after he has taken over hints that his autocratic manner will encounter its own nemesis.

Much of the credit for this transformation of an ancient classic into something relevant today must be down to Steven Berkoff's script which is a liberal translation but brought the language completely up to date (for example, the unsolved murder is described as a "cold case"). It also helped that most of the lines allocated to the Chorus were split up and spoken by one or another of them; only sometimes did they speak in unison. This made more sense to my modern ears.

The simplicity of the set, with the long table at the front, a door at the back and exits also to either side, worked perfectly. The actors mimed any necessary props. The only moment that jarred was when the messenger from Thebes mugged around and raised a laugh, the only laugh in they play. One might argue that such a moment of laughter is essential in a play that otherwise wound up the tension time and again; it reminded me of the Hell-Porter's scene in Macbeth. But in this case, the moment of frivolity seemed extraneous.

The actors - Louise Jameson as Jocasta, Simon Merrells as Oedipus and Vincenzo Nicoli as Creon - were superb. But the star of the show was the script and the direction. Thank you Steven Berkoff.

I saw this as a Digital Theatre production; it was produced in 2012.