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Oedipus: A Context Part 3 The 'Finished Product': In terms of filmic production, there is exstensive testing before anything is committed to, and the audience ultimately only sees the best of what is shot, with the planning and the seams being carefully hidden. A good play however, never really reaches a stage that could be called 'the finished product'. Just like a film, there is a huge amount of preproduction work, there are rehearsals and planning, there are discussions and alterations, there are technical innovations and theatrical experiments; and all of these contribute to the staged version of the play which the audience sees. However, no two stagings of even the most rigoursly and tightly controlled play are ever the same, and no matter how late in a run, no matter how many rehearsals and discussions, the audience, at best, only ever really sees a work in progress, one stage in a never ending evolution. This is even more evident in relation to an improvised play. Bearing this in mind, it should make sense that Oedipus: A Context (unlike, say, Admonition) never reached a stage of completion, and this seems epitomised in the fact that Neil, after watching a recording of the final performance, was convinced that his acting was wooden, when all in the theatre, and especially the crew, who had witnessed his previous endeavours, were amazed by his efforts on this final night. This is the same across the board, from the opening dance scene to the emerging evil in Apollo to the change in Creon's character in relation to Oedipus; to the audience members on any particular night, all seemed flawless and complete, but to the cast and crew, there was still infinite room for refinement and alteration. For what it's worth, however, the 'final product' of Oedipus: A Context ran for some 70 minutes and saw many great moments. Neil's superb work in the title role (despite what he may think himself) was matched only by Darren's wonderful turn as Creon, handling with astute adroitness Creon's shift from camp to crazy. A special mention must also go to Melanie, who was evil incarnate in her role as the sadistic Apollo. Indeed, the creation of Apollo as a character par se was probably the most significant change which Martin made from the original play, and it worked a treat, turning the god into a vindictive and malicious uber-human, and thus reinforcing the idea of them as arbitrary controllers of mans destiny. All in all, the final play was wonderfully realised; the improvisation came off excellently, the simple yet effective lighting setups enhanced the action without being overt, the story effectively encompased hilarity in the opening scenes and tragedy at the close, Martin's innovative use of a semi-dumb show at the very start to establish back-story was inspired, the audience proximity to the players enhanced both their enjoyment of the event and the feelings of humour and remorse, as well as giving the actors something to play off. The play provided something for everybody, whether familiar with the original or not and in the end, Oedipus: A Context was, first and foremost, a successful piece of experimental theatre. Critical Reaction: The critical reaction to the play, while comprising minimal feedback from respected critics, has been exceptional. On all three nights, the play got a superb reaction, with a lengthy standing ovation on the closing evening. The scenes of comedy regularly had people laughing, while the scenes of tragedy evoked a respectful and brooding silence from the crowd. The questions and answers session on the final night promoted a fine number of highly intelligent and probing questions, mostly for Martin, which, if nothing else, showed people had engaged with the show on an intellectual and fundamental level. At least one member of St. Pat's English department absolutely loved the play, and in the long run, Martin got a 1.1 in his Masters, so it must have impressed somebody. Much of the critical discussion focused on making Creon gay, personfiying Apollo, and the improvised acting in general. All three elements have received almost universal approval, and Martin was suitably lauded for his work on the play after its staging. Well received no doubt, the play generated a debate on an intellectual plain, and it seemed to stimulate most, if not all, of the audience members into thinking about one thing or another; such was the legacy Oedipus: A Context. And surely any piece of art which accomplishes such goals has been a success, has done its job, and done it well. On to Oedipus page 4 back to oedipus page 2 back to products links page back to home |
