Review of Oedipus Rex – an inclusive, unmissable update of Stravinsky

As Stravinsky originally conceived it, the opera-oratorio *Oedipus Rex* (first performed almost a century ago) fits well into the Edinburgh International Festival’s “rituals” theme. Scottish Opera’s bold staging in the acoustically challenging atrium of the National Museum of Scotland remains fitting, even though director Roxana Haines has strayed from many of the composer’s original stipulations.

Most notably, the chorus, which integrates professionals with community volunteers, including local NHS workers, now features female voices. This change nods to modern sensibilities and addresses practical reasons. Their choreographed contribution by Alex McCabe, designed to interact with the promenading audience, and directed by Susannah Wapshott, is one of the production’s highlights.

Haines and designer Anna Orton have adopted the fashion catwalk ritual for the principal actions. Characters first stand on separate podiums, as if they are part of the museum’s collection. The runway setup encloses the orchestra, conducted by Scottish Opera’s music director Stuart Stratford, which gives a magnificently dramatic account of Stravinsky’s often austere neo-classical score.

While the orchestra and choir’s larger forces managed to overcome the venue, the principal performers faced a more significant challenge and experienced varying success levels. Their audibility often depended on where the listener stood, and the first-night audience showed little interest in moving around.

Stravinsky provides specific instructions to the lyric tenor in the title role. Shengzhi Ren, a former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, possesses exactly the right voice type and was wonderfully precise in his dynamics for those nearby. However, the fuller voice of Seumas Begg as the Shepherd in the closing scenes had more impact.

Baritone Roland Wood’s Creon was, surprisingly, occasionally less powerful than expected. In contrast, mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, as Jocasta, had little difficulty filling the space with her voice.

The principal characters’ movement ranged inconsistently from very stylised, such as Ren as the King of Thebes and Callum Thorpe as the seer, Tiresias, to more intimate interactions between Wood and Whately, which the composer expressly forbade.

Ultimately, this *Oedipus* is an unmissable event, conceived and delivered on a vast scale by Scottish Opera and the EIF. This partnership seemed unlikely two years ago when the opera company staged a brilliant *Candide* with a community chorus in its Glasgow home, coinciding with the festival.

The production’s event status is acknowledged from the start with Wendy Seager’s role as the high-vis-jacketed Narrator. Her vernacular English script is far removed from Jean Cocteau’s original but reflects the production’s inclusive intentions through her mobility and engagement.

*• At the National Museum of Scotland, August 18 and 19*

Source: The Guardian