"I like to support theatre that strives for unique approaches to storytelling especially something as rich and fascinating as Oedipus and I really wish I had better news. But, this adaptation doesn’t work. Skilled actors can make a bad play better but they can’t make it good. It was repetitive, monotonous, defied logic and ultimately pointless. We already know what’s going to happen so we are REALLY just waiting for the reveal, which takes forever and when it does occur is forced to the point of (almost) bad melodrama. (People on either side of me were falling asleep) I could go on but suffice it to say, I cannot recommend. Your money is better spent elsewhere. "

...

Broadway.com Customer on Dec 20, 2025

It just wasn't for me.

"The adaptation suffers from 'tonal dissonance.' By rewriting Sophocles into casual, modern vernacular (lots of 'umms,' 'okays,' and campaign jargon), the play strips away the mythic stakes. When characters discuss incest and murder with the same casual tone used for polling numbers, the horror doesn't land—it just feels awkward. The attempt to be 'hyper-real' actually makes the interactions feel less believable. The production leans too heavily on the aesthetic of a Netflix political drama at the expense of the story's emotional core. Framing Oedipus as a 'Mike Prince' style tech-populist turns a story about Fate and Gods into a mundane procedural about a PR scandal. The countdown clock on stage, while meant to add tension, ultimately feels like a gimmick that rushes the actors through moments that require deep emotional breathing room. he direction fails to manage the tone effectively, resulting in accidental comedy during the climax. Because the setting is so sterile and the acting so clinical, the revelations of the tragedy land as punchlines rather than horror. When an audience laughs during the final devastation of Oedipus, it is a sign that the modernization has distanced them from the characters' pain rather than drawing them in. While Mark Strong delivers a commanding performance, this production is a 'political thriller' that forgets to be a tragedy. It trades emotional depth for clever pacing tricks (like the onstage clock), leaving us with a slick, cold exercise that feels more like a contrived TV writer's room than a classic Greek myth."

...

Timothy M from Bourne on Jan 6, 2026

Viewing 51-55 of 55

About Oedipus

It’s election night. The polls predict a landslide victory. Everything is about to change.

Director Robert Icke transforms Sophocles’ epic tragedy into an essential, explosive, sensual human thriller catapulting the secrets of the past into a high-stakes present.

Oedipus Reviews

Customer Reviews (55)

About Oedipus