I have two words for Jill Sullivan-Bennin, director of Genesius Guild’s current production of Sophocles’ Electra: THANK YOU. Thank you for preserving the integrity and the vision of Guild founder, Don Wooten. This show was in the tradition he inaugurated.
This was Sullivan-Bennin’s directorial debut at the Guild and it was a B++ effort. Not perfect, but few things are, and this is a really good show.
Greek tragedy/mythology is usually convoluted and bloody. But, all the violence in these plays happens off stage. Back in the BCs when CGI wasn’t even a dream, portrayal of bloody wars and murder were hard to pull off. Plus, the plays were performed as part of religious festivals and performed in huge outdoor arenas. They were stylistic, not realistic and actors’ physical presence was beefed up with height enhancing boots and large masks to make them more visible to the back rows.
The action here takes place in Argos where King Agamemnon returns home after the Trojan War to find his wife, Clytemnestra, cheating on him with his cousin, Aegisthus. Clytemnestra is ticked off at Agamemnon because he sacrificed their daughter, Iphigenia – at the direction of the gods’, mind you – and would have done in their son, Orestes, as well but their other daughter, Electra, saved him by sending Orestes away. Mommy is not happy with Electra and so reduces the once princess to servitude and badly mistreats her. When Agamemnon returns Clytemnestra offs him in a fit of revenge which ticks off daddy’s little girl who starts down a path of her own somewhat whiny revenge aided by her brother who returns just in time to do the dirty deed of slaying both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Remember, I warned you.
Electra is ably played by Stephanie Burrough but her volume was uneven. A neophyte to the Guild stage, she needs to understand that subtlety playing a role on that stage has to be sacrificed somewhat when competing with trains, planes and –especially this past weekend – fireworks. Very strong performances were brought in by Matt Walsh as Orestes and Dee Canfield as Clytemnestra. And remember I mentioned that all violence happens offstage? Well, we always learn what happens via a tragic messenger who comes onstage and tells everyone all the gory details. Mischa Hooker handled that job with aplomb.
The backbone of Greek theater is the chorus. A bad one can utterly ruin a show. This chorus may have been small with only four women, but three of the four were Guild veterans who understood their importance and mentored their fourth young cast mate. In other words – they done good. Although the full sleeve of tattoos and purple hair on one member was SO out of place, and there was only one choral ode spoken in unison which is a hallmark of Greek tragedy and I missed it.
BIG kudos go out to Shannon Ryan and Courtney Wehmeier whose costumes rivaled the great Ellen Dixon and to Daitlyn Duffy and Jacob Lund whose mask design and painting was simply outstanding. Although stylized they also had a human quality that’s hard to explain, but easy to appreciate.
So, I highly recommend you get on over to Lincoln Park to see this show. Not only will you be entertained, it also runs a mere hour and a half so you’ll have plenty of time for more fun afterward.
Electra continues July 9th and 10th at Lincoln Park in Rock Island at 7:00 p.m.