Medea/Medea

Dylan Tighe's reworking of the Medea myth is about as comprehensive as reworks get. There are maybe ten lines that survive from Euripides's drama and no one except Medea even speaks out loud.Instead there are recordings of someone reading Roland Barthes's 'Mythologies' in French, speeches by Winston Churchill, and videos of the director talking about his concept for the production all mixed in with a music concrete soundscape by Seán Óg. Rather than popping everyone in classical garb and letting the resonances take care of themselves, Tighe continually suggests new possibilities. Medea appears initially dressed in what looks like an Islamic headscarf; later the calls of Arabic muezzin are heard. Jason is dressed in a British Army uniform and the dead Creon draped with a British flag. Is Tighe suggesting a link between Medea's infanticide and the indoctrination of suicide bombers? Is Britain's imperial past being examined? The piece doesn't offer answers, but instead demands to be read and thought about. The slow pace will not appeal to everyone, but this is intelligent, European-style dramaturgy. This ongoing collaboration between the Gate and Headlong confirms both as invaluable agents of experiment and intelligent innovation.