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ORESTEIA 2007/2008 |
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Sandy Grierson as Orestes (image by Tim Morozzo) |
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Lazzi experimental arts unit presents a new adaptation of the Oresteia, classic trilogy by Aeschylus in a solo performance starring Sandy Grierson, directed by David WW Johnstone. Sound by Davey Anderson, costume by Leah Lovett. '...the performance has a physical, aural and visual intensity that burns itself onto the mind. ... Grierson remains perhaps the most compelling performer on the Scottish stage today; a man who can invite audiences to watch him undertaking what's really an exercise in extreme theatre, and still deliver a performance to remember, and to debate.' Joyce McMillan 'Arriving onstage only a week after the Tron's equally battlescarred take on Antigone, Lazzi's version never pushes its allusions, remaining faithful to Robert Potter's 1886 translation. This is no antiquity, though, but remains intense, demanding and quite possibly the most adventurous and unique piece of theatre ever seen in Cumbernauld.' Neil Cooper See
Oresteia at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Read
The
Scotsman preview feature Read
The Scotman review by Joyce
McMillan I
am Orestes Lazzi’s
production of the Oresteia is an
elegantly classical yet astonishingly real rendition of Aeschylus’
tragic trilogy: Agamemnon, The
Choephorae and The Furies dating
from 458 BC. In this adaptation, the hero, Orestes, appears before us,
his judges, to answer to the crime of matricide. Sandy
Grierson (Best Actor Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland 2007)
plays Orestes in an intense solo portrayal that tests the limits of
physical performance as it plunges the audience directly into
Aeschylus’ timeless themes of revenge, torture, guilt and justice. Robert
Potter’s 1886 translation has been pared down to an absolute minimum.
Staged with extreme simplicity, with a haunting soundtrack by Davey
Anderson (Black Watch), this is a
visually stunning and challenging piece of theatre that sears its place
in the mind. The
performance lasts approximately one hour. Devised
by David W W Johnstone and Sandy Grierson, Lazzi’s Oresteia
was originally produced through the Nucleus programme at Cumbernauld
Theatre. Lazzi
is dedicated to
bold experimentation and a highly improvisational style. The company has
garnered a reputation for innovation with its striking and original
theatre work. Previous productions include Witkacy
Idiota (2005) and Aurora
Borealis (2007). 'What
just might be one
of the most exciting experimental shows to emerge from Scottish theatre
this year'. (Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman) |
| David W W Johnstone answers some questions about the project and Lazzi |