Oedipus El Rey
Closed 1h 40m
Oedipus El Rey
82

Oedipus El Rey NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%
(90 Ratings)
Positive
91%
Mixed
9%
Negative
0%
Members say
Absorbing, Great acting, Ambitious, Intense, Great staging

About the Show

The Public Theater and the Sol Project present this new take on the classic Greek tragedy, set in South Central LA.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (90)

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111 Reviews | 18 Followers
88
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Resonant

See it if you want to see a refreshing take on a classic play

Don't see it if you can't handle violence, nudity, or sexual situations on stage

271 Reviews | 66 Followers
88
Great staging, Visceral, Intense, Absorbing, Great acting

See it if You like fresh takes on classic plays that provide new insights on the original.

Don't see it if You are put off by violence and graphic sexuality. Read more

100 Reviews | 9 Followers
88
Edgy, Must see, Profound, Exhilarating

See it if appreciate where theater can go when we open to new questions, excellent writing and exhilarating performances

Don't see it if you are squeamish about words, images, truth or nudity

350 Reviews | 163 Followers
87
Intense, Clever, Great acting, Interesting modern interpretation of a classic story, Riveting

See it if you want to see this classic story modernized amidst an urban gang and prison setting. Well-acted, but intense and in your face.

Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with intense stories, graphic violence, graphic language, or nudity. All necessary to the story and tastefully done. Read more

86 Reviews | 12 Followers
87
Riveting, Intense, Edgy

See it if you like a well-conceived contemporary spin on a classic.

Don't see it if you are not interested in a Greek tragedy, are uncomfortable with some blood, violence, and sex scenes between mother and son.

324 Reviews | 71 Followers
87
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great acting, Great staging, Riveting

See it if Riveting cast and script envelop you in this modern retelling; Inspirational staging and stagecraft

Don't see it if Intensity drop in middle of act; notable nudity and sexual situations

153 Reviews | 44 Followers
86
Absorbing, Clever, Entertaining, Great acting, Intelligent

See it if you want to see a fresh version of the Oedipus story acted with passion.

Don't see it if you want to see a traditional Shakespeare play or are offended by nudity.

193 Reviews | 31 Followers
86
Absorbing, Ambitious, Great staging, Great acting, Intense

See it if Very Original innovative highly choreographed theater. A new twist brought to a classic story. Well acted . Exciting production

Don't see it if You are put off by brutal fights and sexually intense scenes - are offended by nudity and a classic play twisted into something original

Critic Reviews (16)

Front Mezz Junkies
October 24th, 2017

"Thrilling...The play pulses with a rhythm much like a drive down a south central LA street...The Jocasta-Oedipus love story has always existed but only by implication with the text, and here in this deeper examination, we find the electricity...The look and feel of this production is as simple as it is powerful...No one is going to get out unscathed in 'Oedipus el Rey,' except for maybe all these wonderfully talented artists involved in this powerful and electrifying production.”
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Exeunt Magazine
October 30th, 2017

"The moral becomes something far more tangible and relevant than, say, the validity of fatalism...Alfaro’s adaptation takes a close look at the relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus. The scenes between them are tender and vastly different from the rest of the play...Director Chay Yew has a way with maintaining the rhythm of this complex, multigenerational epic...It is without a doubt a refreshing take on a familiar story, too familiar."
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Theatre Reviews Limited
October 24th, 2017

“Deconstructs the classic distilling it to its essence and reconstructs the tragedy with a painful and sometimes disquieting relevance to metamodernism...Mr. Alfaro’s play is something new and transcendent...The focus on the love between Oedipus and Jocasta is refreshing and transformative...Alfaro’s 'Oedipus El Rey' raises rich and enduring questions, some timeless, some relevant to the current socio-economic environment.”
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New York Theater
November 3rd, 2017

"Luis Alfaro’s modern adaptation of Sophocles’ tragedy turns it into something new and shocking, bringing on stage what the Greek playwright kept off stage, in an intense, visceral production...If it begins feeling stagey, 'Oedipus El Rey' becomes brutal and direct, but also graphically sensuous and oddly tender - ultimately in all ways gripping...'Oedipus El Rey' builds in power in large part due to its committed cast."
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The Wrap
October 24th, 2017

“A more apt title would be ‘Oedipus Sex’...One of the longest nude scenes on stage between two actors. Certainly, it is one of the most movingly crafted and perform...Chay Yew doesn’t so much direct as choreograph this very fast trajectory from prison to freedom to entrapment, spreading it across a vast panoramic canvas...Under Yew’s direction, Alfaro and his actors take the opposite route to the characters’ expected tragic ends.”
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Edge New York
October 24th, 2017

“Delgado brings a wanting and vulnerability to the unlucky queen, though the script's heavy foreshadowing in her dialogue lays it on too thick. The same is true for the chorus…The most impressive part of "Oedipus El Rey," is how it builds upon Sophocles' existential questions about the nature of humanity and grounds them in important social commentary about incarceration and people of color…An engaging new take on an old story.”
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Village Voice
October 25th, 2017

"Alfaro’s modern adaptation might leave you puzzled...The lengthy love scene emphasizes the performers’ nudity at the expense of their thoughts and emotions...The thought-provoking analogy between destiny and a system of oppression calls for more complexity...Produced in collaboration with Padrón’s excellent Sol Project, dedicated to creating space for Latinx playwrights...It’s a vital and necessary endeavor...Ditto Alfaro’s vision for contemporary L.A.”
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Stage and Cinema
October 24th, 2017

“A spectacular production...Energetic performances, excellent use of a spare but effective set, dramatic lighting and music all make a powerful impression. This in spite of the fact that the play itself—though it begins well and is intelligent and often funny—in the end doesn’t satisfy....The writing never quite offers a sense of authenticity...One can feel the vibration of ideas within Mr. Alfaro’s work. But like so many problematic plays, this one feels like it can use a few rewrites.”
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