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A PARTICLE OF DREAD (OEDIPUS VARIATIONS) Send This Review to a Friend
Actress Shirley MacLaine, believer in previous lives, might particularly enjoy “A Particle of Dread (Oedious Variations,” playwright Sam Shepard’s spin on the Greek tragedy “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles that dates to 429 BC. The re-imagined play, presented by the Signature Theater and Field Day, takes place in the present with an investigation of a murder, but with characters representing both the contemporary and the ancient. It was staged in 2013 in Derry, Ireland, under the auspices of Field Day, and Shepard reportedly has done some tinkering with it since then.
The staging of Shepard’s work, under the direction of Nancy Meckler, is an intermission-less 85 minutes of often haunting effect, with an excellent cast headed by superb Stephen Rae as both Oedipus and Otto. A murder has taken place, with three victims, and Officer Harrington (Jason Kolotouros) and Forensic Investigator RJ Randolph (Matthew Rauch) probe what happened in their quest to find the killer. The format has the aura of a split-level detective yarn.
Shepard has cleverly worked out his riff with classical overtones and parallels both with respect to themes and characters representing present and past, all with chilling persuasiveness. Two musicians elevated on one side of the stage, Neil Martin on cello and Todd Livingston on Dobro slide guitar, punctuate the drama with original music by Neil Martin.
Brid Brennan plays Jocasta and Jocelyn, Aidan Redmond is Laius/Larry/Langos. Others in the cast fleshing out the tragedy include Lloyd Hutchinson in four roles, Uncle Del, Traveler, Tiresias and the Maniac of the Outskirts. Judith Roddy is Antigoni and Annalee. At the outset we see the mood set with Rae entering in overalls stained with blood and blood-drenched garments being washed and hung on a clothesline visually informing us without subtlety that this is a bloody tale.
Along the way the prophecy is intoned—Oedipus killing his father and sleeping with his mother—and the tragic action builds inexorably within the context of the sleuthing. A ceiling fixture, part of the set that was designed by Frank Conway, figures in a dramatic stroke near the end of the performance. To the credit of all concerned--Shepard, the actors, the director and other contributors—the overall impact leaves one enthralled and in admiration of what has been accomplished to give yet another face to the mythology that has survived through the ages. At the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. Phone: 212-244-7529. Reviewed November 27, 2014.
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