Hippolytos
T0771761182
Greek epic of love, jealousy and revenge.
Archive :: production:T0771761182, play:S3580, venue:V182
Production details
Unlike most adaptations of Greek drama, where the choral set pieces are either included as a relief from the plot or excluded altogether, Thiasos' adaptation of Euripides' Hippolytos places the all singing all- dancing chorus firmly at the centre. Euripides' lyrics are sung in the original Greek, preserving the sound and rhythms of the language. Everything else is challengingly new. A narrator briefly recounts the unfolding plot. The characters in the drama-gods and mortals-emerge to act their parts in the style of a Balinese Topeng masked dance-drama, and the chorus perform their dances as Jaipongan, a contemporary dance form based on traditional styles from West Java. The parallels between Greek and Indonesian art forms run deep. Both use masks and live dance traditions with a meaningful repertoire of formal gestures that derive from a religious context packed with significance for all participants-audience and performers alike. This adaptation of Euripides' Hippolytos recaptures the poetry and musicality of the play and restores the mystery and complexity that is often absent from the stately spoken dramas we have come to accept as the norm for Greek tragedy. A a result the story reverberates with greater immediacy
