If you ever feel the need to question the power of Greek tragedy, this strong production from Serdar Biliş might help you make up your mind. It is common enough to update Euripides’ story of Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter to start the Trojan War. For a London audience, Robert Icke’s great Oresteia springs to mind, but Biliş achieves a lot with a quieter strategy that is just as profound.
Between scenes, Biliş inserts videos of ordinary women telling us about their fathers and sons in relation to love, violence and sacrifice. It might have been nice for these to be recounted live, but their brief statements resonate with the play and impact on it. It is a brilliant take on the Greek chorus – simple and sincere. The performers have similar tales to tell (their breaks in character are impressive). What may seem a long way from the events in the play becomes related to real lives. The idea is sound and memorable.
Make no mistake – the key to success here is a solid appreciation of the original piece, with a clear and controlled version from Stephen Sharkey and superb performances from an excellent cast. Quick to emote, and just as good at setting forth arguments, the actors complement the script perfectly. Simon Kunz’s Agamemnon is frightening and persuasive. He conveys his character’s dilemma as very real, and that should be impossible. Indra Ové’s Clytemnestra and her daughter, played by Mithra Malek, are both moving. Ové made the hair on the back of my neck stand up as she argues, so coherently, against her husband. Iphigenia’s final acceptance of her fate, framed as martyrdom, is depicted by Malek with breathtaking skill.
The production explicates the ancient themes and expands the play. The sense of the “war machine” that Agamemnon cannot control is a highlight – the man with all the power is not really in charge. Meanwhile, one of the videos refers to conflict affecting “small people”: those we don’t always hear from in plays about gods and kings. As final praise, I left the Arcola thinking that there are plenty of people who need to see this production and remember both these points.
Until 2 May 2026
www.arcolatheatre.com
Photo by Ikin Yum
