[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of the Getty Villa Museum and the Troubadour Theatre Company’s Oedipus the King, Mama! running through September 27.
The combination of the classic and stunning Getty Villa theatre and the sensational and hilarious Troubadour Theatre Company, or ‘Troubies’ as they are affectionately known, is utterly unmissable.
With their usual raunchy aplomb, the Troubies take a dark classic, turn it on its head, and give it a shake to see what crawls out. Whoever came up with this idea is warped and brilliant.
A comedic version of what is surely one of the most tragic stories ever written might seem a bit of a reach. But even Oedipus himself might have cracked a smile or two at this truly unique and wonderfully entertaining version of his story. If he still had his eyes, of course.
Oedipus is married to the queen and has two lovely daughters. He is loved by his subjects and has a wonderful life. However, then comes the famine and the fear and a rather awkward revelation about his mother and all hell breaks loose.
The story of Oedipus is high drama and what could complement such an epic tragedy more than the king of melancholy and passion himself, Elvis Presley!
The Troubies sing their way enthusiastically through all the greatest hits while the play unfolds in all its gushing, tragic woe. The players fulfill every single task set for them, masterfully. They own the stage, they flirt with the audience and each other, and they tell this terrible, sad and heartbreaking story with their own very special kind of tragic comedy. The Queen is dazzling and agonised. The King is unflinchingly resistant to the obvious until almost the very end.
And the songs…oh my, the songs are absolutely brilliant! We are treated to a wonderful band and some truly fabulous voices echoing off the limestone steps of the Greek theatre. Sophocles himself would have been thrilled, I am sure, the audience certainly was.
I have seen many Greek tragedies at The Getty Villa. All wonderful and unforgettable.
But Oedipus the King, Mama! is in a world all of its own making. Sublimely funny, epically outrageous and exactly what we need right now to break this universal fever.
Everything I have ever seen at this magical venue has always exceeded expectations…. But Oedipus the King, Mama! Crosses genres and millennia in the most disarming and delightful ways.
Oedipus has never been this rock n’ roll! Bravo, once again to the Troubies and The Getty…and of course to the King himself!
When:
September 4–27
An American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted performance will take place on Thursday, September 18
Where:
The Getty Villa
17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Tickets:
https://www.getty.edu/calendar/oct-oedipus-the-king-mama
About the Troubadour Theatre Company
Celebrating 30 years of entertaining audiences in Los Angeles and 16 years of collaborating with the Getty, the Troubadour Theatre Company reintroduces this production, which was previously part of the Villa’s 2009 Theatre Lab series, to the Outdoor Theatre stage. It is adapted and directed by Matt Walker, artistic director of the Troubadour Theatre Company.
The Oedipus the King, Mama! Cast includes Matt Walker as Oedipus, Cloie Taylor as Shepherd, Beth Kennedy as Jocasta, Rick Batalla as Creon, Mike Sulprizio as Teiresias, Steven Booth as Young Oedipus, Suzanne Jolie Narbonne as Ismene/Chorus, Lara Lafferty as Antigone/Chorus, Philip McNiven as Messenger, and Katie Malia as Sphinx attendant.
Oedipus the King, Mama! Team
The play will feature choreography by Matt Walker, music direction by Benet Braun, costume design by Sharon McGunigle, hair, makeup, and wig design by Suzanne Narbonne, lighting design by Bo Tindell, set design by Evan Bartoletti, prop design by Matt Scott, sound design by Robert Ramirez, music supervision by Eric Heinly, and Molly Alvarez Booth as movement consultant. Producers include Mike Sulprizio, Beth Kennedy, and Matt Walker.
****
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