THEATRE: ORESTES 2.0
Orestes 2.0 arrives in the wake of Julius Caesar, the hugely successful debut show by Cry Havoc, one of Sydney’s newest and most exciting theatre companies. Cry Havoc have noble aims: They want to brush the dust off great texts and make them relevant to the contemporary stage. Enter Charles Mee, the eccentric US playwright renowned for his revamps of the classics, which often include phrases lifted straight out of Soap Opera Digest and TV Guides. His Orestes 2.0 (directed by Kate Revz) is being billed as a thrilling channel surf between ancient Greek text and American pop culture, but unfortunately this mash up of eras and intentions doesn’t quite hit the spot. Orestes 2.0 overlaps, doubles back, and cuts off so often that if you’re unfamiliar with the source material, following the show is near impossible. There are some great performances – Gemma Pranita, Nicholas Eadie and Anthony Cooley inject a much needed dose of comedy, while Guy Edmonds is entirely convincing as a tormented Orestes – and all involved play their parts with real passion. The script itself, however, is quite punishing, and the epic monologues clash with the more contemporary elements, resulting in a piece that never fully engages or provokes. Cry Havoc are clearly a very talented lot, but this one falls short.
Feb 20-Mar 13, SBW Stables Theatre,10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $26-30, 8002 4772, griffintheatre.com.au
