REVIEW: Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

REVIEW: Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Image: Josh McElroy, Jeremi Campese and Caitlin Burley. Photo: Tracey Schramm

The setting is not pretty; a ghetto in city suburbia, the performance space is covered in spray painted graffiti, it reeks of poverty, neglect and desolation, amid the detritus are empty milk crates, a stained mattress, a waste disposal bin, empty cans and rubbish, black garbage bags filled with junk.

A cohesive group of four fresh faced young actors from ATYP, Caitlin Burley, Jeremi Campese, Mia Evans Rorris and Josh McElroy, act like they really own this space. Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is a street wise anarchistic blend of modern day horror and ancient Greek mythology.

Written by playwright Daniel Evans and based on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, from 429 BC, it won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award in 2014-15.

Requiring a maturity beyond their years and accompanied by a red alert language warning, Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore deals with shocking adult themes like incest, rape, alcohol/drug abuse, self-mutilation, infanticide, patricide, suicide and family violence.

There is a delinquency that these actors relish in, and an edginess. Their youth gives the play credibility. They are perfect for this performance, have conviction in their own ability and act with inspiring capability.

It’s not always clear what is happening with the characters but their ancient names roll off the tongue like celestial poetry; Hæmon, Antigone, her brother Polynices, Oedipus, his sons, Eteocles and Polynices and his mother, Jocasta, minotaur, and places like the plague ravaged Thebes, Corinth and Crete.

Until Jun 24, Wed-Sat 7pm & Sun 5pm. ATYP Studio 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. $35. Tickets & Info: www.atyp.com.au or PH: 9270 2400

Reviewed by Mel Somerville.

You May Also Like

Comments are closed.