‘Medea’  // Queensland Theatre

‘Medea’ was playfully foreboding.

Often dubbed mythology’s most misunderstood mother, ‘Medea’ is a name that is entirely familiar to avid Greek theatre enthusiasts. It is a tragic tale of the lengths a woman will take to reinstate justice when she has been wronged or rather to wreak revenge, no matter the pain it may cause even to herself. With a famous climax of filicide, it’s no secret that this is a blood-drenched tragedy. What has remained secretive is the perspective of the two young children who were unfortunate enough to be born into this marital betrayal. Medea’s two young sons were more than just boxes to tick off on a how to enact revenge list, they were at a time their own people, no matter how small they may have been. Queensland Theatre’s production of ‘Medea’ by Kate Mulvaney and Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides dives into this perspective and puts this side of Medea’s tale that was previously untold into the limelight, after all sometimes tragedy is childsplay.

At its core, this adaption of ‘Medea’ is a behind the scenes of the original story placed into a contemporary setting with the entire play unfolding within the confines of the two young son’s bedroom. Jasper and Leon are ordinary children; playful, cheeky, sensitive and naive. It’s the naivety of the children that makes this script particularly heartbreaking. The audience knows what the boys do not and as they witness them play, fight and ponder the future, they know how this story will end. Mulvaney and Sarks’ writing perfectly balances this impending sense of dread with their authentic and playful dialogue that invites audiences to lose themselves in the children’s world. This recontextualisation of the story truly highlights children’s innate trust of their parents and their faith in their morality. A mistress becomes ‘dad’s friend’ and a murder becomes incomprehensible.

Directed by the multi-award winning Daniel Evans, Queensland Theatre’s rendition of the play is captivatingly cinematic. The details across the board are meticulous in a manner that completely engulfs audiences within the world whilst still enforcing a clear divide. The story is real but it is untouchable; the fatal ending, inevitable. Chloe Greave’s set design plays a large role in both solidifying the reality of this world whilst still ensuring the audience is kept outside of it. The stage is transformed into a highly realistic bedroom set, complete with details down to sports ribbons, a real fish tank and a littering of plastic stars across the walls and ceiling. However, the entire thing is then encased within a glass box, trapping them within their own story. Their home doubles as a coffin.

The glass is lined with LED lights that allow Matt Scott’s lighting design and Mike Wilmett’s sound design to frequently work harmoniously alongside one another to emphasise moments of tension. Willetts design consists of non-diegetic synthesised music that adds to the cinematic nature of the piece and the existing emotions on stage. A distinct moment involves Leon lashing out after overhearing his parents arguing through the bedroom door. Scott’s design sees the stage slowly flood with red whilst Willett furthers the tension with muffled voices growing louder against a distinct drone.

Another lighting moment that must be mentioned is, of course, the stars. As mentioned previously, Greave’s set design featured a littering of stars across the walls and ceilings. Whilst having a heart to heart, the boys switched off the lights and a gasp rippled through the audience. The darkened bedroom transformed; a beautiful night sky taking its place as each star glowed. Such a nostalgic piece of bedroom decor working so effectively really instated a feeling of childlike wonder. Truly the audience was granted vision through these boys’ eyes.

Orlando Dunn-Mura and Felix Pearn as Leon and Jasper respectively, must be highly commended on their performances. Incredibly charismatic and authentic, their relationship was entirely believable with a dedication to a playful approach. Pearn’s Jasper was adorably eager to impress and his comedic timing was impeccable with a grand use of both physicality and vocals that especially soared during his impression of his “dad’s friend” with the chicken lips. Likewise Dunn-Mura’s Leon was bold with all the self-assuredness that comes with being an older brother. More than just a bully to his younger brother though, Dunn-Mura allowed Leon to have a tenderness that was sweet and heartfelt. Perhaps encapsulating the tone of the entire play, hearing Leon tell Jasper ‘I’ll always be your big brother even when we are old… like 30’ with Dunn-Mura’s genuine delivery was simultaneously heartwarming, funny and devastating knowing the character’s fates.

Rounding out the cast was Helen Cassidy as the titular character herself, Medea. Cassidy was compelling with an array of emotions bubbling under the surface at all times as Medea disguised the gravity of her current situation from her children. The familial relationships were completely believable and despite knowing the crimes she will ultimately commit, Cassidy’s portrayal of the character made it difficult to dislike her but instead feel a sick sort of pity.

Queensland Theatre’s production of ‘Medea’ was visually and emotionally mesmerising. Evan’s blocking alongside the script itself, ensured audiences were unable to forget where this story was headed whilst still praying it would go somewhere else despite it. To draw such a layered and compelling story out of two such young actors is a feat that must be applauded. Theatre at its core relies on playfulness so it should be no surprise that young people can be the most powerful creatives and yet it was still astounding to bear witness to. A classic reimagined, this version of ‘Medea’ does require an audience to have somewhat of an understanding of the original text yet despite this it is a masterpiece of its own accord.

‘Medea’ performs until Saturday 8th June at The Billie Brown Theatre in South Brisbane. For more information visit their website.