“[Icke’s] exhilarating adaptation is in part a demolition…It dispenses with stage conventions. Yet this is not destruction, but revelation.…it is whole and entire of itself.”
—The Guardian (UK), ★★★★★
“Robert Icke’s extraordinary adaptation of Aeschylus’s Oresteia makes it feel as if you have electrodes wired into your soul.”
—Time Out London, ★★★★
Aeschylus’ greatest and final play is a searing familial saga that examines the sins of a family over several decades and explores whether justice can ever really be done. Robert Icke‘s Olivier Award-winning adaptation of this moral dilemma comes to the Armory for its North American premiere following sold-out runs at the Almeida Theatre and on London’s West End.
Icke radically reimagines this Greek drama for the modern stage, condensing the tragic trilogy into a single performance that electrifies and devastates in equal measure with Olivier Award-nominated Anastasia Hille (The Effect, The Master Builder) in the role of Klytemnestra. This daring update allows audiences to investigate the justification of vengeance, the possibility of finding justice in retaliation, and the role of judicial democracy at work—themes that continue to resonate nearly two and a half millennia after the play was written.
This production will play in repertory with Hamlet for the first time, allowing audiences to experience the throughlines and connections in these classic dramas—depicting two epic family sagas written over 2,000 years apart—performed by the same cast.
Artist Talk: Oresteia with Robert Icke and Emily Greenwood
Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 5:30pm
Tickets: $15 (plus fees)
Adapter and director Robert Icke discusses updating Aeschylus’ trilogy for modern audiences with Emily Greenwood, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature at Harvard University.
This production is dedicated to the memory of
Peter Brook
1925–2022
‘whose every work…
Came forth example, and remains so, yet’
North American Premiere
A Park Avenue Armory and Almeida Theatre Production
This Production had its World Premiere at The Almeida Theatre in London
Originally produced by The Almeida Theatre and Produced in the West End by Ambassador Theatre Group and Sonia Friedman Productions
After Aeschylus, in an adaptation by Robert Icke
Direction, Robert Icke
Sets & Costumes, Hildegard Bechtler
Lighting, Natasha Chivers
Sound, Tom Gibbons
Video, Tim Reid
Photo: Miles Aldridge
July 13–August 13, 2022
Previews:
Wednesday, July 13–Monday, July 25, 2022
Performances:
Tuesday, July 26–Saturday, August 13, 2022
Evenings at 7:00pm
Matinees at 1:00pm
To view a full schedule of performances, click here.
Tickets start at $45 (plus fees)
Wade Thompson Drill Hall
View the seating chart.
This performance is approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes with two (2) intermissions and one (1) pause. Please note that this production contains nudity and uses theatrical fog/haze.
Access Rush Tickets
Health and Safety Protocols
All ticket-holders must be fully vaccinated. “Fully vaccinated” means that you received your final dose of an FDA or WHO-approved vaccine at least 14 days before your performance date. At check-in, ticket holders will be required to show proof of full vaccination (the New York State Excelsior Pass or a hard copy or photo of your vaccination card) and a government-issued photo ID.
All patrons and staff are required to wear masks while inside the Armory except when actively eating or drinking in designated areas (N95, KN95 or KF94 masks are recommended). To view additional COVID-19 Policies, please visit our FAQs page.
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