Last night’s performance of the Oresteia at the Globe was a melange of a modern adaptation of ancient Greek tragedy performed in an Elizabethan theatre. This could have resulted in a chaotic mess but at times during the play, this mix proved humorous, heady, confrontational and challenging.

Rory Mullarkey’s adaptation of Aeschylus’s original ancient trilogy is learned and eloquent, with the language being both accessible and poetical. The play is simply constructed in three parts reflecting the original form and themes of Aeschylus’s plays. A love of words and the playwright’s craft are evident throughout this version, particularly in the frequent use of assonance, alliteration and repetition. For those unfamiliar with the details of the play, the story of the House of Atreus is clearly told. At times, the narrative elucidates on the past history of the Atreus family, their involvement in the Trojan War and the internecine wars between the central characters Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Aegisthus, Orestes and Electra. At other times, the language is philosophical and deals with more abstract concepts such as justice versus vengeance, the nature of war and the role of the Gods. On occasion, the lyricism of the language spills over into song, often reflecting the central character’s hopes and fears for the future most notably when Cassandra prophesizesher own and Agamemnon’s murders. This musicality is present throughout the performance, with the musical trio emphasizing the mood and pace of the play; at crucial moments, the tenor sax is played in counter-point to the speech, highlighting the mood and tone of pivotal themes in the play.

This staging of the Oresteia is simple, making best use of this unique theatre space to evoke the atmosphere at Mycenaean Argos on Agamemnon’s return (during Acts 1 and 2) and in the final act representing Athena’s court in Athens. The chorus and cast move fluidly through the set, making excellent use of the open yard space to interact and engage with the audience. Shades of ancient Greek theatre come through when they don tri-faced masks in the last act but there are also reflections of modern performances, especially through the Furies which are played with energy, otherworldliness and humour as the living dead. The cast’s costumes also draw on a wide-range of styles and eras – Agamemnon returns from Troy in bloodied traditional ancient Greek armour, to be greeted by a chorus in 1950s dress evoking the fervour and fear of the chattering classes during McCarthy-riddled mid 20th century America. In between, Clytemnestra appears in stunning 60s geometrical patterns, channelling Callas in Medea. The overall visual effect is to subtly underpin the central themes and conflicts within the play.

This production manages to juggle, counter-pose and explore many of the ideas and concepts pertinent to the modern audience in Aeschylus’s trilogy and in fact, this adaptation packs in an awful lot into a well-paced and balanced play: from the big concepts of politics, war, philosophy and religion through to the intimate details and insights into personal loss, tragedy, loyalty and revenge. The language and performance are easily comprehensible and the forms and themes of ancient Greek tragedy were played out well by a great ensemble cast in the Globe’s unique performance space. The audience were clearly enthralled, amused, provoked and entertained by this refreshing interpretation of the Oresteia. This is a production well worth the trip to the South Bank but be warned this performance contains smoking, blood and a moment of bare flesh!