REVIEW: IPHIGENIA or, the sacrifices of a young woman in nine movements at The Hope Theatre 10 – 28 Jan 2023

“This inventive and thoughtful retelling succeeds in bringing something modern and compelling to an ancient story” ★★★★

As the audience, in warm coats and wool, ascends into the Hope Theatre, the sight of a chilled Iphigenia (Karen Barredo) repeatedly dragging a brush through her hair and dressed only in jeans and a t-shirt, seems particularly cruel.  

If we don’t already know the story of Iphigenia, we are very quickly acquainted. As the tragedy gathers pace, projections inform us of the main plot points in devastatingly few words, some of which are partially obscured by the shape of the wall. The effect is of dislocation. Iphigenia is not safe here, far from it, but at least in this brutal space, the chaos of her circumstances falls silent. The infrequent, brutal interjections contrast with Iphigenia’s hectic lipstick scrawl: on the walls, on the floor, on herself. When her mood changes, she smears frenetically at the words, distorting them and staining her hands, but never quite erasing anything.  It is in these drawings, the childlike doodles, the desperate list of pros and cons, that we see the girl beneath the Greek myth. If at times the writing is difficult to decipher, it only deepens the sense of Iphigenia’s unfathomable panic.

Iphigenia’s descent is accompanied by documentary interviews including, touchingly, from Yager herself. Participants, filmed in uncompromising close-up, reflect upon Iphigenia’s story and how this relates to their own experiences as mothers and daughters. The footage is projected directly onto Iphigenia’s bed – enormous eyes rove organically across the wall, at times slipping onto the pillows, onto Iphigenia herself. Unmade bedsheets make an inconstant cinema screen, churned into chaos by an anxious sleeper so that the footage swoops and dances erratically, uncertainly. Set and costume (TK Hay) interact thoughtfully with this confident, considered production.

There are aspects of the production that don’t quite ring true. Some of Barredo’s movements seem to ape childhood rather than evoke it; a smaller, more genuine portrayal would have been more appropriate here. Towards the end of the piece, long after we think we understand the rhythm of this production, Yager chooses to disrupt the action again. This felt like a wise choice but perhaps the content of this final piece of writing could be reconsidered. Something about this direct approach felt at odds with the nuance established earlier. Despite this, this inventive and thoughtful retelling succeeds in bringing something modern and compelling to an ancient story.

Images: Luan Davide Gray

IPHIGENIA; or, the sacrifices of a young woman in nine movements, Elsie Yager, The Hope Theatre, 10-28 Jan, IPHIGENIA; or, the sacrifices of a young woman in nine movements - The Hope Theatre

Reviewer Natalie MacKinnon

Natalie is a writer and playwright from Edinburgh. She is a graduate of the Lir Academy for Dramatic Arts in Dublin and the Traverse Young Writers group in Edinburgh. Her writing has been performed on stage in the UK and Ireland and has been adapted for radio by the BBC.