THE 1041C Theater Reviews

I found this production of Medea was an entertaining venture, it told its story well and most of the characters did their jobs effectively, save for one performance I had a problem with which I will address later on. Before I pick on what I didn’t like in the play, I’ll start with the positives. First off, Denise Ann Pelletier as Medea was a great performance and she certainly did a good job bringing the character to life. Had I not known better, I would have believed she actually believed every word she said and meant them with every fiber of her being. The costume choice for her served well too, making her the only costumed character in the play accentuated her prominent role, though I also felt Jason could have benefited from a customized outfit.

Some people may complain with the minimalism in the stage design, but I preferred it. Medea is not a grand production that requires flashy designs and special effects, the core of the play is in the characters and their interactions, so having the minimalist stage prevents unnecessary distractions from the actors’ performances. I also find that it is a true credit to the actors if they are able to draw you into the play with acting skill alone rather than making a visual illusion of being in the setting of the play. Also something I noticed is that the walls made me think of very impractical bookshelves and I found myself sometimes wondering what would happen if I had used that stage as a personal library and stored my books in those little alcoves, only to have them constantly tipping over when I’d pull a book out. Then again, my distraction might just be the fault of my imagination as opposed to the fault of the stage designers.

Now, some things I didn’t care for. First and foremost, Bryn Magnus as Jason was, quite honestly, laughable to me. Suitable for his name, Magnus seems to emanate a grand presence whenever he’s on stage, and not in a good way. Whenever he’d be on stage, I couldn’t help but imagine him as an uptight, elitist scumbag whose sole purpose in the play is to provide the audience with an obvious villain. I always imagined Jason as genuinely concerned for his family and Medea, but blinded by social practices that make him ignorant to Medea’s true suffering. This production just made him some jerk who impregnated a woman twice only to leave her for someone with more money, then feigns (badly I might add, to the point that he just seems sarcastic in his attempt) sympathy for his first wife. His emotional breakdown at the end of the play also seemed very overdramatic and out of nowhere. There was no progression of emotion for Jason, he was completely fine at one point, then comes bursting out screaming and yelling, then breaks down and weeps. Overall, I would not envision any Greek mythological hero as acting like the Jason in this production.

Secondly, two actors who I find underwhelming for opposite reasons. Kathleen Turco-Lyon as the Nurse and Ben Williams as the Tutor/Chorus. Both of them did perfectly fine jobs in their roles when they were speaking (though the Nurse did overdo it sometimes), but it was their silent actions that seemed underwhelming to me. Kathleen, when not speaking and simply reacting to what was occurring, seemed to overdo her reactions, acting even more extreme in her emotion than anyone else on stage. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ben did not seem to put any effort into convincingly acting when he had no lines, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because he’s incapable because he’s a good actor when speaking and his actions match well, but when he has no lines, he just looks bored and waiting until he gets to do something again. This dichotomy led to what I found to be a humorous scene in which Medea is describing her plot to murder her children. To the left is the Nurse, visibly shaken by Medea’s words and appearing like she’s silently bawling her eyes out as she sinks to her knees, while the Tutor is on the other side of the stage, taking Medea’s words with an oddly apathetic demeanor as he simply bends his knees slowly until he is kneeling, still with a blank expression on his face.

The last thing I’d like to mention is what I felt to be a case of miscast characters. Personally, I felt the actors for Kreon and Aigeus should have been switched. Kreon is a king and should speak with force and authority, a voice that is present in Edward Furs, who also has the look for a king, standing straight and tall and generally looking like a man who can command others. Mort Kroos, who actually played Kreon, looks to be a frail elderly man who does not seem to have a kingly aura to him. In my opinion, his voice and appearance fits Aigeus better, as that character plays a kind older gentleman who provides Medea comfort, a role I can see Mort Kroos doing flawlessly as he just looks and sounds like a very nice old man.

That’s really all I can say about the production outside of what others have already said. Generally, I enjoyed it, even the things I complained about at least gave me a chuckle and some amusement.