In an unusual theatrical coincidence, two major productions of Oedipus were announced on the same day last year: Robert Icke’s sleek, modern-dress adaptation starring Mark Strong, which recently finished its West End run, and this Old Vic production, co-directed by Matthew Warchus with choreographer Hofesh Shechter. While Icke’s version turned the play into a tightly wound political thriller, this production leans into ritual and abstraction, combining stylised movement with moments of intimacy. The result is visually striking but ultimately uneven, a production full of bold ideas that don’t quite come together.
Hickson’s version emphasises Thebes’ suffering, particularly the impact of the city’s drought, with harrowing references to a mother killing her eldest son in a desperate attempt to escape the situation. But this sense of despair doesn’t always translate into the performances. Rami Malek, making his UK stage debut as Oedipus, has a commanding presence, but his delivery is often flat, lacking the urgency and psychological depth needed to drive the story. He frequently delivers his monologues into a microphone at the front of the stage, with little variation in tone or pacing, making key revelations feel oddly static. His interactions with Indira Varma’s Jocasta also feel strangely detached, and there’s little sense of the love, or later horror, that should define their relationship. This lack of connection extends to Oedipus’ relationship with his daughter, Antigone, which feels strangely, and I think perhaps unintentionally, cold.
It’s always a treat to see Cecilia Noble, who brings some much-needed weight to the drama as the blind seer Tiresias; although even this key scene feels a little diluted in its delivery when it should be setting up the turmoil that’s to follow. Nicholas Khan as Creon (which Hickson seems to have combined with the Priest and Chorus’ lines) has a dignified presence, although bar one peculiar bit of stage fighting with Malek seems to also lack much emotional impact. Likewise, the Corinthian messenger and Shepherd (Joseph Mydell and Nicholas Woodeson, respectively) two figures who should bring a sense of growing dread as the truth emerges, seem oddly unaffected given the gravity of what they reveal. The production as a whole struggles to maintain a sense of urgency, meaning the psychological unravelling that makes Oedipus so gripping never fully takes hold.
The decision to replace the traditional choral odes with contemporary dance, choreographed by Shechter, is one of the boldest aspects of this production. The chorus – performed by dancers from the Hofesh Shechter Company – expresses the city’s suffering through movement rather than words, accompanied by a pulsing score of tribal drums and techno beats that give these transitions a rave-like quality. The choreography is impressive in isolation – dancers writhe in agony, reach desperately for freedom, and finally move as one in the rain – but it feels disconnected from the main narrative. Instead of deepening the emotional impact, these sequences often break up the pacing, making it harder for tension to build.
Hickson also makes the choice to stage many key scenes in a private space between Oedipus and Jocasta, seemingly to create intimacy between the pair, but this instead isolates them from the wider action, further emphasising the disconnect between the chorus and the central drama. The pacing feels fractured, with the play often stopping and starting rather than gaining momentum.
Visually, Rae Smith’s set design with lighting by Tom Visser has some compelling moments. The stage is struck with sharp-bordered red, white or blue lighting, with a dark orange sun looming in the background, a constant reminder of Thebes’ suffering. Jocasta’s red dress stands out starkly against the black surroundings, foreshadowing the bloodshed to come. The most visually striking moment arrives after the truth is revealed, when rain finally arrives and pours heavily onto the dancers, their light clothing becoming soaked as they move through it.
However, while the production’s aesthetics are often beautiful, they can’t compensate for the lack of narrative drive. Right at the end, Oedipus asks if the people are better now, to which the chorus turn their heads slowly towards the audience leaving a note of ambiguity. But the production itself never fully earns the weight of the question. Oedipus should be a relentless march towards the truth, each revelation adding to its inevitable doom. Instead, this version struggles to sustain its dramatic tension, its detached ideas never quite forming a cohesive whole.
Review by Joseph Dunitz
‘Vengeance will be taken on the killer, then the land will be clean. The contamination will be washed away. The rains will come and the people will be healed.’
It’s a cold case but, according to the Oracle, if the murderer of old King Laius is found and punished then all will be well. The people turn to their new King, Oedipus, the man who solved the riddle of the Sphinx, to hunt down the perpetrator and bring salvation. He vows to succeed whatever the cost and so begins an unstoppable pursuit of the truth through a harrowing labyrinth of fear and love.
CAST
Rami Malek – Oedipus
Indira Varma – Jocasta
Fayez Bakhsh – Understudy Oedipus/Creon
Paul Easom – Understudy Corinthian/Shepherd
Nicholas Khan – Creon
Joseph Mydell – Corinthian
Cecilia Noble – Tiresias
Sarah Priddy – Understudy Jocasta/Tiresias
Nicholas Woodeson – Shepherd
Justine Gouache, Charles Heinrich, Kenny Wing Tao Ho, Adam Khazmuradov, Kim Kohlmann, Oscar Jinghu Li, Yen-Ching Lin, Rachelle Scott, Jian-Hui Wang, Zee Zunnur – Dancers
Róisin Bhalla, Amandeep Panesar, Asha Thakrar – Antigone
Annika Chugh, Rosa Neill-Chetty, Amelia Valentina Pankhania – Ismene
CREATIVE
Written by Sophocles, in a new adaptation by Ella Hickson
Hofesh Shechter – Co-Director, Choreographer and Music
Matthew Warcus – Co-director
Rae Smith – Set and Costume
Tom Visser – Lighting
Christopher Shutt – Sound
Lilac Yosiphon – Associate Director
OEDIPUS
The Old Vic
21 January to 29 March 2025
I agree entirely with the reviewer. My first Oedipus, after many years reading and studying the play. A dreadful let down. The use of choreography to replace the chorus was nothing short of criminal.