MEDEA -- Winona State University

WSU Performing Arts Center Main Stage
playwright: Robinson Jeffers (Freely adapted from the play by Euripides
director: Vivian Fusillo
cast: Eileen Moeller, Jephthah Peters, Alex Gillett, Mary Montgomery, Kristine Payette, Kathleen Rickerson, Teresa Sigler, Charles Wallace, Paul McIntyre, Ryan Hawkins, Josh Armstrong, Ethan Jensen
set & light design: Ryan Seifert
costume & light design: Peggy Sannerud
costumer: Sue Bratt
theatre technician: Jim Danneker
stage manager: Rachel Ostroot
assistant stage manager: Joe Sarafolean

The classic Greek tale of a woman's madness and vengeance against a cheating husband.

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Ohhhhh. Greek drama can be very difficult to watch -- it's all dialogue, no actual action. This production wasn't helped by the staging of what little action there might have been all done on a small platform, rather than the open stage in front of the set.

The young lady playing Medea was difficult to watch. She had three emotions ... wailing over her children, anger (which was only portrayed by shouting), and the monotone conversation.

The portrayal of the killing of the children (off stage) was wonderfully alluded to with the crimson silk that flowed through the gigantic floating stone upstage (the set was interesting -- the combination between realistic (giant stone doors) and the expressionistic/abstract (floating disk) maybe didn't work as well as hoped. Yes... I caught the addition of the ... clouds? .... near the stone disk.

The chorus, aside from being quite attractive young ladies, was the most interesting part of the performance and I wished they had even more to do.

The wailing by all over the death of the children was incredibly distracting (particularly that of the nurse, downstage of everyone else, and the loudest of all). I think Medea had a speech, but I couldn't tell you what she said.

I want to say that I'm actually glad to have seen Medea (my first time), but I'm not. I couldn't help but sit through the 90 minutes and constantly think about what I would have done differently. Not a good sign.