Oresteia

Full length

Cast: 5m, 7f

Agamemnon returns home from the Trojan war to find his wife may not have forgiven him for sacrificing their daughter.  Orestes returns from exile to find his Dad dead, his sister mad, and his Mom in bed with his cousin.  Drawing from mythology, bloody horror films, and a streak of gallows humor, David Johnston infuses this classic Greek tragedy with astounding comic subversion.

A deserved downtown buzz has been developing about Mr. Johnston, whose spunky pop aesthetic might remind you of the early works of Christopher Durang or David Lindsay-Abaire. With a light touch, he has found humor in the darkest of places, including, now, Greek tragedy.

— Jason Zinoman, The New York Times

Read the New York Times review here.

David Johnston’s witty crib sheet for Aeschylus’ Oresteia . . . darts between high drama and low comedy, without side-stepping the profundity of the original. By the time the final hysterical scene squeaks off on its rolling-platform ekkyklema, we’re all Greek fans. Even a Trojan would be shouting himself hoarse.

— Helen Shaw, TimeOut New York

Read the TimeOut New York review here.

More Reviews

The Eumenides, New York Times review

TimeOut‘s Best of 2007

TimeOut‘s Best of 2006