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Video review: Oedipus, Old Vic - 'I didn't feel like there was any chemistry'

Video review transcript: How did Oedipus at the Old Vic compare to the production at the Wyndham's last year [starring Leslie Manville and Mark Strong]?

I think Wyndham's is definitely the winner for me.

This production at the Old Vic, starring Rami Malek and Indira Varma, mixes dance and play.

And at first, I loved the dance. And then I got frustrated with the dance, because the dance sequences go on for quite some time.

But then, as the play progressed, I just wasn't connecting with it. I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between the two leads, and I wasn't connecting with the characters.

I didn't really care what happened to them, to them, to be honest. I didn't feel like there was any shock or revelation in the same way that there was in the Wyndham's production.

And I found myself actually drawn to the dance and enjoying that more than the play itself.

It's very dark. It's very moody. Sometimes you think, can you just light the stage a bit bit more?

And it felt ironic that it was so dark, considering this is set during a drought. You think, well, there's a drought, it's going to be sunny and bright.

Oedipus, Old Vic Theatre

Adapted from Sophocles by Ella Hickson

Co-directors Hofesh Shechter and Matthew Warchus

Starring Rami Malek and Indira Varma

Running time: One hour and 40 minutes without an interval

Booking until 29 March

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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