Theater review: APT's 'Oedipus' explores the exquisite art of suffering

Lindsay Christians | The Capital Times | September 20, 2021

Something is rotten in Thebes. With grand decrees and confident curses, the king promises to root out whatever is “burrowing its head into the flesh of our sacred land” like a tick, making everyone sick.

But as sure as the king’s name is “Oedipus,” we know the call is coming from inside the house.

Staging the great Greek theatrical origin stories is a passion project for David Daniel, an American Players Theatre core company member who adapted and directs this new production in the Hill Theatre, running through Oct. 9. “Oedipus” is tragedy at its most essential, a fall from grace so stark and memorable, there’s a whole psychological complex named for it.

Gavin Lawrence brings gravity and believable disbelief to the title character, a king so sure of himself and his position, he swears to hold himself accountable even for his own ignorance. As Oedipus gets nearer to the truth of his circumstance, Lawrence appears to be learning it all in real time.

Ringing the story like a noose is a prophecy about a child, a prince, destined to kill his own father and sleep with his mother. Thebes' queen, Jocasta (Sun Mee Chomet, at once regal and deeply human), hears this and tries to stop it by sacrificing her first born. When Oedipus hears it, he puts distance between himself and his family. Nobody wants this to happen.

But the gods can be cruel, and Sophocles was writing about fate, faith and the limits of free will. The idea of a destiny we can’t escape is maddening. In this case, it’s kind of the point.

Translated here in more ways than one, centuries-old “Oedipus” can feel eerily contemporary, with references to “this all-hated plague.” “Loved ones turn into lists, lists into numbers, numbers into numbness,” says the chorus. “Lives, like leaves scattered in the wind.”

Read the rest of the review here.