On the evening of the 22nd of March, the students of Guildhall School presented the phenomenon of Greek tragedy, Orestes by Euripides.
As a Classics student, all things Classics and mythology related interest me. I am lucky to go to a school where we have the opportunity to have these kinds of visits and take part in them. So naturally, when our entire class found out we can see Orestes, we all immediately signed up.
The Friday of the performance, all of us met up at the Guildhall Theatre by the Barbican. We waited for the performance to start, while discussing the possible interpretations they might put on. With Orestes not being one of the plays that we study, many of us were unfamiliar with the Euripidean play, however, we were familiar with the tragedy of the House of Agamemnon, and more importantly, the tragedy of Orestes and Elektra.
As a part of Euripides’ trilogy, Orestes follows the play Elektra and tells the story of what happened after the matricide of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife and the mother of Orestes and Elektra, which was carried out by the two siblings. It follows Orestes as he tries to free himself from the wrath of the Furies and obtain acquittal from the crime he committed.
The students changed the setting from ancient Greece, and applied it to a much more modern setting. They had also made incredible use of the set they were provided with. Towards the very end of the play, the ceiling to floor backboard of the stage fell away to reveal the god Apollo, standing with a revived Helen (the same one who started the Trojan War) after being murdered by Orestes and his friend Pylades. This effect was supposedly to mimic the deus ex machina from Greek theatre – a stage where a god would appear. While, the play did take a few creative liberties, such as the successful murder of Helen instead of a failed plot, it did stay mostly true to the nature of the play.
Overall, I am able to say that the play was a success. From the incredible acting, to a stage that fell back to reveal the realm of the Greek gods, it was an amazing experience.
