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The queen is crazy, the costumes are fabulous and there’s a pool on stage. Add forbidden love, lies and murder and you’ve got yourself one good-looking tragedy. Top it off with hip dialect and topical comedy, and it’s no wonder audiences have responded so well to Fedra: Queen of Haiti, which runs through November 15th at the Lookingglass Theatre.
Playwright J. Nicole Brooks, who also plays the title role, has set the Greek myth of Phaedra in a futuristic Haiti, re-imagined as a superpower democracy – or, as King Theseus calls it, “demo-crazy.” The script freely mixes heightened dialogue, along the lines of Euripedes’ Hippolytus or Jean Racine’s Phèdre, with contemporary sit-com banter and pop-cultural zings. As Fedra prepares to seduce her stepson, she jokes about her intimate wax job. A voiceover newscast mentions Prime Minister Jolie.
This adaptation doesn’t always take the tragic elements too seriously. Some of Fedra’s most despondent moments are played more for comedy, as is the ill-fated relationship between Fedra and her enabling nurse, Enone (Lisa Tejero). Often it’s the stunning production design that adds sexy drama to otherwise tame scenes. But at times the show abandons all silliness and digs in deep to produce chills, especially when the intense Morocco Omari is on stage as Theseus. I could have used more moments like Omari’s believable knife-fight with his son Hippolytus, played by the affable Anthony Fleming III.
As the star-crossed lovers, Fleming and the multi-faceted Sharina Martin strike a perfect balance between the production’s mix of playfulness and sorrow. Since Theseus killed the rightful princess’s family and imprisoned her for life, Aricia has grown into a savvy, angry teen with stellar punk-rock fashion sense (Alison Siple should win an award for Aricia’s outfit alone). As the guilt-ridden Hippolytus attempts to express his love, Aricia observes what they have in common: they’re both victims of outlandish tragedy, and they’re both socially awkward. It’s a funny moment that brings the story home and captures Fedra’s “Stars: They’re Just Like Us!” vibe in a nutshell.
