Anna Burnside reviews 'a sparkling jewel of a show'.
Greek myths have been retold a lot recently. This is something different, with elements of Madeline Miller’s feminist-framed Circe mashed up with Liz Lochhead’s tremendous Scots translation of Medea, last seen at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022.
Here Medea is up first, in a radio or podcast studio, talking us through meeting Jason, acquiring the golden fleece, embarking on the voyage with the Argonauts.
The bit where she gives birth to the twins is quite something.
Then we get Jason’s version, via a restless press conference, as he squirms his way through questions about the twins.
Just as we have realised that we have heard two unreliable narrators, Chariot Queen arrives. A new character in a full-length sequin gown, they further make us question what we have vaguely remembered from classics lessons and what is unique to this production.
This is a wildly ambitious piece of work from Nazil Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh, in a different league from most of the slighter pieces that appear on the Oran Mor stage. The writing is sparky and rich, layering the idioms and mannerisms of 21st century life onto this ancient story.
The cast are powerhouses. Hannah Jarrett-Scott's Medea is cool to the point of chilly, while Reuben Jospeh as Jason is as self-absorbed and annoying as any civilian who has found fame thanks to someone else’s golden fleece. Marc Mackinnon’s Chariot Queen is a slighter role, but he brings nuance and calm with a huge presence.
Director Philip Howard keeps the high concept from taking over. He uses humour judiciously and lightly, with a great comedy subplot about nuns in 3D glasses. When we see them, they do not disappoint.
Medea on the Mic is A Play, A Pie and A Pint at its best: a sparkling jewel of a show that could take its place in the Traverse’s August programme. More like this please.
Medea on the Mic has completed its current run.
Photos by Tommy Ka-Ken Wan.
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