Phèdre
May 2013
Dating from over 2000 years ago, Euripides’ classic tragedy ‘Hippolytus’ makes its way to the Malthouse Theatre in the form of ‘Phèdre’ – written by French writer Jean Racine, translated by English poet Ted Hughes, and now, directed by Melbourne’s own Peter Evans.
In a tale of love, betrayal, humiliation, despair and death, Catherine McClements brings the infamous character back to life alongside a cast of both established and up-and-coming actors as Bell Shakespeare continues its foray into French classical theatre.
With their aim to expose Australian audiences to great European works that they previously may not have been familiar with, Evans says it’s been a fascinating experience to see the reaction ‘Phèdre’ has inspired since its opening over the past weekend.
“This one has been so interesting because it’s such a famous play in France and in Europe but not as much here. What I’m getting from the audience is that it’s been a treat for them to see a classic work they don’t know. Even if they are familiar with it, we’ve approached it in a more contemporary way so it’s not exactly like the original and a lot of it comes down to the design of the set.
“We’ve built a rather elegant but completely dishevelled room which could be a slight section of some palace or it could even been from a time period like the 1940s. Phèdre is portrayed in a unique way as well – she is almost ‘rock’n’roll’, she could almost be a Patty Smith figure because we’re exploring that kind of sexuality that is really interesting, the kind that bumps up against taboo.”
After hearing rumours of her husband King Theseus’ death in battle, Phèdre decides to pursue the object of her obsession – his son Hippolytus. To her humiliation, her step-son rejects her advances and – to Phèdre’s horror – Theseus turns up alive and well after all, leaving her with two choices: tell the truth or let Hippolytus get accused for her rape. An intense domestic situation, Evans says the story is simple and yet takes the stakes incredibly high, making for a perfect tragedy but also a beautiful piece of theatre in general.
“And Catherine [McClements] is so right for this play. I wanted an actor that was brave. She is one of this country’ most incisive and powerful actors, so casting her was the first idea I had when I thought about doing this play. She’s entering into the right age for it where someone could deal with such an extraordinary passion for this younger man. Cath is very sexual and muscular as an actor, she’s got a real grunt to her. She approaches things interestingly, her choices are less obvious; she explores the darker corners of characters.”
McClements claims the appeal in ‘Phèdre’ is the questions it asks about what it means to be human and how it is that a story over 2000 years old maintains its relevance to this day.
“What’s been the most surprising is that there is an incredible stillness and intensity to this play but we’ve noticed the audience’s enjoyment and there have even been a few laughs, which we never imaged would happen! Because the French version was translated by Ted Hughes, it’s also quite a poetic piece and it’s quite accessible.
“Sometimes with Shakespeare it’s difficult to unravel the speeches but Ted Hughes transforms it into this beautiful imagery, images that are taken from those very early Greek myths. The beauty of it is that people recognise it, it’s an archetypical plot… a woman declares her love for someone else and then her husband comes back. The big twist in the plot keeps people engaged.”
Phèdre is now showing at Malthouse Theatre, until June 2.
Images: Pierre Toussaint
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