Mourning Becomes Electra and also the Old Oedipus. Two Sophoclean Tragedies on Stage at the Greek Theatre in Syracuse
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This review examines two productions of Sophocles presented during the 2025 season of classical performances in Syracuse by the National Institute of Ancient Drama (INDA): Electra directed by Roberto Andò and Oedipus at Colonus directed by Robert Carsen. Andò’s Electra, starring Sonia Bergamasco, transforms the Atreides’ palace into a ruin suspended in time, mirroring the protagonist’s psychological paralysis and obsessive mourning. The performance draws on Hofmannsthal’s modern reinterpretation, portraying Electra as a neurotic ‘heroine of pain’ who seeks expression through music. Carsen’s Oedipus at Colonus, featuring Giuseppe Sartori, continues the director’s minimalist aesthetic, creating a sacred, meditative space framed by a monumental staircase, cypresses trees, and ritual gestures. The production emphasises Oedipus’s passage from guilt to wisdom and redemption, culminating in a transcendental vision of death. Together, these stagings explore mourning and transformation as parallel trajectories within Sophoclean tragedy. KEYWORDS: Sophocles; Electra; Oedipus at Colonus; National Institute of Ancient Drama (INDA); Roberto Andò; Robert Carsen
DOI: 10.13136/2tzw7c49
Author: Ugolini, Gherardo
Institution: University of Verona
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7117451565
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