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A review by saareman
Medea by Euripides
4.0
Thoroughly Modern Medea
Review of the Oberon Classics paperback edition (April 16, 2016) adapted by [a:Rachel Cusk|46051|Rachel Cusk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1268246552p2/46051.jpg] from the Ancient Greek language original (432 BC).
Rachel Cusk's 2015 Medea is merged with the (currently) 990 editions of Euripides' play, but it is nothing at all like most of those translations and adaptations from the ancient Greek. Cusk's lead character is a modern day screenwriter, her Jason is an actor who had a breakthrough role thanks to a script by Medea, Jason is divorcing Medea in order to marry a younger woman from a rich family to further promote his career, the Aegeus is a film producer who will arrange a future production of a Medea script, Medea's new movie is a tell-all which will destroy Jason and bring about the downfall of his new family. Medea does not directly murder anyone.
It is all obviously inspired by Euripides original plot, but the text and situations are all modern day and the fates of the characters are not as in the original. 5 gossipy women are the chorus, they barely interact with Medea. There are 2 somewhat bratty boy children. Glauke (the younger woman) gets a rash from the jewellery which Medea passes on to Jason, the Nurse and the Tutor comment on the action as before. A house cleaner character is introduced to the plot as a completely new commentator on the action. The messenger character describes the off-stage action as before.
Poster for the Almeida Theatre 2015 production. Image sourced from the Almeida Theatre.
This was a thoroughly interesting interpretation of the play in which much of the suspense was the anticipation of how is Cusk going to modernize the situation without the horror of the original's ending. Really the most horrific aspect was the promotional material for the Almeida Theatre production. This was somewhat hidden in the poster above, but had a grotesque reveal in the cover of the 2nd print edition:
Image sourced from Goodreads.
Theatre Reviews
Magic in its Modernism: Rachel Cusk's Marvellous New Medea for the Almeida Greeks season by Charlotte Valori at Operissima, October 1, 2015.
Trivia and Links
There is an excerpted scene from the Almeida Theatre production with Kate Fleetwood as Medea which you can see here. Starting with the talk of a bicycle, you'll realize that this version of the play is set in modern times.
Rachel Cusk wrote an opinion piece for The Telegraph at the time of her version's staging. It is behind a paywall but you can see the headline and the beginning at Rachel Cusk: 'Medea is not psychotic, she's a realist.', September 30, 2015.
Review of the Oberon Classics paperback edition (April 16, 2016) adapted by [a:Rachel Cusk|46051|Rachel Cusk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1268246552p2/46051.jpg] from the Ancient Greek language original (432 BC).
Jason: Look, you should be trying to find someone yourself. You're still an attractive woman.
Medea: Still?
Jason: For your age, yes. You should look on the internet. That's how everyone does it these days.
[his phone pings and he reads it then texts a reply.]
How's the writing going?
Rachel Cusk's 2015 Medea is merged with the (currently) 990 editions of Euripides' play, but it is nothing at all like most of those translations and adaptations from the ancient Greek. Cusk's lead character is a modern day screenwriter, her Jason is an actor who had a breakthrough role thanks to a script by Medea, Jason is divorcing Medea in order to marry a younger woman from a rich family to further promote his career, the Aegeus is a film producer who will arrange a future production of a Medea script, Medea's new movie is a tell-all which will destroy Jason and bring about the downfall of his new family. Medea does not directly murder anyone.
It is all obviously inspired by Euripides original plot, but the text and situations are all modern day and the fates of the characters are not as in the original. 5 gossipy women are the chorus, they barely interact with Medea. There are 2 somewhat bratty boy children. Glauke (the younger woman) gets a rash from the jewellery which Medea passes on to Jason, the Nurse and the Tutor comment on the action as before. A house cleaner character is introduced to the plot as a completely new commentator on the action. The messenger character describes the off-stage action as before.
Poster for the Almeida Theatre 2015 production. Image sourced from the Almeida Theatre.
This was a thoroughly interesting interpretation of the play in which much of the suspense was the anticipation of how is Cusk going to modernize the situation without the horror of the original's ending. Really the most horrific aspect was the promotional material for the Almeida Theatre production. This was somewhat hidden in the poster above, but had a grotesque reveal in the cover of the 2nd print edition:
Image sourced from Goodreads.
Theatre Reviews
Magic in its Modernism: Rachel Cusk's Marvellous New Medea for the Almeida Greeks season by Charlotte Valori at Operissima, October 1, 2015.
Trivia and Links
There is an excerpted scene from the Almeida Theatre production with Kate Fleetwood as Medea which you can see here. Starting with the talk of a bicycle, you'll realize that this version of the play is set in modern times.
Rachel Cusk wrote an opinion piece for The Telegraph at the time of her version's staging. It is behind a paywall but you can see the headline and the beginning at Rachel Cusk: 'Medea is not psychotic, she's a realist.', September 30, 2015.