Joseph Charles’ imaginative concept brings out the intensity of emotions in this Greek tragedy
There is nothing better than a Greek tragedy to stir up the emotions and this adaptation certainly did that! The retelling of Medea Gosperia in a contemporary musical brought out Medea’s sass, Jason’s misogyny and the painful tragic moments befitting of a Greek tragedy. The story was well told, and I really felt the hardship that Medea was going through. The moment where Medea came out in a colourful change of costume after the interval was a flourishing moment for the woman who had been so badly betrayed. And by the time we got to the end, half of the cast were covered in fake blood, which is the definition of a good Greek tragedy!
Joseph Charles’ technique of embracing the varying musical strengths of the cast is fascinating and a great way to expose the audience to styles they may not have heard. He uses a base libretto to workshop the music with the cast, with each cast member singing in their preferred musical style, meaning within each act the singing ranges from opera to jazz to rock, all across a few bars of music. This technique plays well with the different characters and fully embraces the diversity of the cast. To mention a few, Amanda White’s pop stylings showed off her sensational voice and Natasha Agarwal’s operatic tones by contrast were very impressive. The challenge of this technique, however, is that where it highlights those stronger voices, it can also expose those with weaker technique and skill, therefore more work could have been done to support and develop these weaker voices in the cast.
The difficulty with using such abrupt changes in musical style meant the music did not quite hang together as well as a traditional operetta. I felt that the music could have been used more effectively to emphasise quieter moments and bigger moments, and the repetition of tunes became tired by the end of the first part. However, after the interval, there was a lively change in variation, and the music felt like it hung together better, meaning the crescendo of the story felt more professional and left the audience on a high note.
Where the music changed style at pace, the band accompanying the performance had a big job on their hands which they excelled at. The seven-piece band sat on stage and were a joy to watch as they smoothly transitioned from opera to jazz and back to opera again in the space of a few minutes. It was so impressive to see how cohesive they were with their changes and the musicality of the group brought the performance to life.
What this performance also sought to do was to modernise the storytelling of the original Medea Gosperia, and whilst the libretto from Kay Hammond explained the story, it felt at times that the language which has lasted for hundreds of years had been over simplified. There were moments where contemporary phraseology felt forced. With such clever musical styling, some of the language could have been elevated whilst still being accessible.
The fun and catchy tunes and the intense operatic moments that accompanied the tragic tale really made the audience feel for Medea and loathe Jason. The variation in musical style set off the key moments allowing members of the cast to shine and portray intense emotions. Joseph Charles’ imaginative concept is something to continue to watch, but for this show further refining to ensure the music hung together with the themes of the story would have made it shine.