Medea

By Kate Mulvany 

Belvoir St Downstairs Theatre

"We're just...specks. Specks of specks" 
                                                  - Leon

Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks’ reimagining of Medea delivers the ancient tale of a conflicted and despairing mother with eloquence and power. Loosely based on the Greek myth of the scorned and vengeful Medea, the co-writers have created an original and contemporary take on Euripides’ play. Leon (Joseph Kelly) and Jasper (Rory Potter) replace Medea’s original sons, Mermeros and Pheres, bringing a rare freshness and playful innocence to this tragic story.

Baring little literal resemblance to the original play, Jason (Medea’s cheating lover), has become an off-stage presence, merely acting as catalyst for the frantic, and ultimately murderous, Medea (Blazey Best) who is obviously a force to be reckoned with. This undeniably successful appropriation focuses less on Medea’s betrayal by Jason, and more on the profound, but ultimately devastating, love of a mother for her children. The heart-rending and tortured contradiction is that, despite Medea’s palpable love for her children, she is so consumed with grief and rage, that she is willing to sacrifice them in the name of vengeance. Most of us know the story…hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Medea, once burnt, wreaks horrendous havoc. Indeed it is our awareness of this inevitably tragic ending that generates the remarkably moving tension of this grim tale.

Produced in association with Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) Medea is a terrifying journey from playful childhood naivety to gut wrenching betrayal. Sarks has drawn the best from 13-year-old Kelly and 11-year-old Potter: they evoke a truthfulness and complexity of character far beyond their years. ATYP aims to close the gap between young people and professional theatre and, in this production, the young people give the professionals a run for their money. The two young actors are what make this production so completely enthralling, managing to overshadow even talented veteran Best. It would be a challenge to find a more pure and honest portrayal of the relationship and kinship between two brothers: Kelly and Potter interact with such joyous mischievousness. The three actors share an intimacy, cohesion and rhythm rare in any ensemble and this astonishing dynamic is at the core of this production’s success.

Mel Page’s set too transports us into a world of happy naivety, echoing the brightness of childhood. Two single beds occupy the boys’ bedroom. Toys cover the floor, scattered across the room in a whirlwind of confusion. But this illusion of boyish abandon is pierced by discrete macabre imagery: dolls pierced by arrows and the ominously locked door transform the childhood playground into a prison. Gradually the ‘sleeping’ bodies of the two boys (which we are forced to step over to reach our seats) morph from slumbering siblings into ‘victims’ in a terrible crime scene.

Jasper’s initial stirring brings the scene to life and the first insight into the beautiful innocence of these two brothers occurs when the younger boy attempts to wake his still limp, and alarmingly lifeless, brother. Jasper begins by carefully dropping Leon’s arm onto the floor, then using his brother’s own floppy finger to pick his nose in order to feed it to him. Finally, he resorts to threatening to fart in his big brother’s face. These adorable, affectionate gestures are familiar and very, very funny. Sadly, it soon becomes evident that these two ingénues have, in fact, been incarcerated by their mother as yet another feud between their parent’s rages on the other side of their ‘prison’ door. Their simple, sincere, candor makes the impending horror of the ‘adults on the other side’ so much more powerful.

The action unfolds as a series of games between the brothers. Their bedroom becomes a backdrop for gory battles, confessions of love and brotherly competition. As is typical of children, they can’t help but get bored and their attempts to listen to the raging battle on the other side of the door are distressingly gripping.

The boys’ escapades are occasionally punctuated by Medea, who enters in a rising state of distress and anxiety, leaving the boys confused and lonely. The dynamic between Leon and his younger sibling is both poignant and troubling. Leon seems to be all too cognizant of the goings on between their parents and his attempts to sidetrack Jasper highlight both his strength as a brother and indeed his profound insight into reality. As Jasper chatters away, Leon remains taciturn and composed. Sarks has entrusted her young actors with the task of revealing the often-underestimated wisdom and clear-sightedness of youth. Her trust is very well placed and startling in its simplicity.

This disarmingly honest and restrained approach informs all elements of the production. There is a cohesion of performance, design and directorial vision that compliment each other with humble but undeniably powerful decisions. Benjamin Cisterne’s modest lighting supports the pure and honest acting onstage. At the flick of a switch Leon plunges their room into darkness and we gaze nostalgically, with the boys, at the ‘glow in the dark galaxy’ on the ceiling. In the end, the poignancy of this story is as ancient and universal as stargazing and its resonance is just as slow to fade.

The Details: Medea plays until November 25th 
Ticket Prices: From $32
Bookings: www.belvoir.com/whats-on/