A dynamic operatic feast for the community
Scottish Opera’s Oedipus Rex is an adaptation of Sophocles’ ancient Greek tragedy, based on Igor Stravinsky’s opera, is staged in the National Museum of Scotland. Conducted by Stuart Stratford and directed by Roxana Haines, the production features a mix of professional and community chorus members.
The play introduces a very interesting role, the speaker, played by Wendy Seager, who would occasionally interrupt the narrative and offer. Shengzhi Ren as Oedipus delivers a stunning performance with a powerful and emotive voice, while Kitty Whately’s portrayal of Jocasta is also highly impressive.
It is a movable operatic feast for the community, with the performance flowing through the entire atrium space, encompassing both the first and second floors of the museum. The central area of the atrium featured a rectangular platform surrounded by several tiers, with the orchestra seated within the rectangle. On both sides of the platform and on the second floor, the audience gathered to watch. Even before the performance officially began, chorus members were dispersed throughout the first and second floors, blending in with the audience. The chorus members on the first floor represent the traditional Greek chorus, while also symbolizing the members of society. Meanwhile, the royal characters—Creon, Jocasta, Oedipus, and Tiresias, stand on display platforms, perfectly integrating into the museum’s setting alongside exhibits. On the second floor, elaborately dressed actors stand in various positions, portraying the gods, silently observing the human activities below. Even before the performance began, just entering the museum performance space left me deeply moved.
As an audience member, you can freely choose to watch from different views, experiencing different theatrical effects and emotional depth. If you choose to stand on the first floor, you become part of society and the royal family, and may have a very close interaction with the performers. If you chose to watch from the second floor, you become the god, observing the human world from a third-person perspective. I stood on the first floor. When the performance began, the chorus standing beside me started to sing, and their voices resonated throughout the museum, creating a powerful and immersive experience.
This production breaks the traditional dualistic spatial separation of stage and audience, and offers an immersive experience that deepens emotional resonance. It immersed the audience in an interweave of history, culture, and theatre. However, the production is somewhat flawed by emphasising form over content. The director’s ideas are demonstrated through the unique spatial setting rather than through the performance. Additionally, performing in the museum diminishes the sound quality compared to that of a theatre, and the audience’s view of the performance is somewhat restricted.