As I sat at the IU Theatre watching the production of Sophocles' thought provoking Oedipus the King, I couldn't help but reflect on how the piece is both a personal and political play.
Oedipus is by all accounts the cleverest of men. He's proven himself by saving his beloved Thebes from the riddle of the Sphinx. And yet, every time he vaunts his cleverness and the power it has brought him, the whole audience knows that he's headed for disaster. Not only is Oedipus headed for disaster, but every characteristic effort that he makes to avert his fate only makes it more inevitable. The IU production, directed by Howard Jensen, runs the gamet from the formal and dryly political Oedipus of the initial scenes to the moistly maudlin final scene of the tears of his daughters echoed by a real rain storm.Tied up with Oedipus and the unraveling of his story is the tale of a City State, a hallowed though political entity whose every citizen is suffering a plague that comes from a cursed history. Oedipus is no Richard Nixon, but Kreon certainly has echoes of Gerald Ford.
Designer Edward Haynes fascinating set combines beaten metal plates, marble columns, a stricken tree, a simple altar and a formidable doorway with a look that is modern and antique at the same time. Robert Shakepeare's lighting, made even more evident by a light smoke, was very much an active part of Oedipus .... The costuming by Jeanette deJong places the action around the thirties, but not so specifically that the references to the gods were too jarring.
The success of the IU production is largely due to the skill with which a coherent vision of Oedipus the King is realized, but a few actors stood out. On Monday night, I was especially taken with the strength and roundedness of Kreon played by Erik Anderson. Patricia Drozda was particularly notable in the role of the messenger, the character who in all innocence brings the damning key parts of the history to bear.
The IU Theatre production of Sophocles' Oedipus the King plays each evening this week through Saturday. This is a great opportunity to grapple with one of the classics of classic drama.