Review: Thebans, The Station – ‘It is a tribute to the BOVTS that so many skills are honed within this excellent local institution’

In June 2024 Bristol Old Vic Theatre School decided to close future undergraduate courses from this September. This means that the drama school that produced such high-profile luminaries as Oliva Colman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Naomie Harris will no longer be taking on actors at the very beginning of their careers.

This gives this year’s undergraduate offerings even greater resonance with the chance to showcase talents, and the choice of Thebans would seem to be a good one.

Liz Lochhead, the Scottish playwright, weaves together the stories created by Sophocles and Euripides to tell the triple tragedies of Oedipus, Jocasta, and Antigone in one merged narrative. The modern contemporary inflection allows the text to show just how the perpetual stories of power continue to resonate in our own time.

There are familiar and very topical themes of stolen power, varying interpretations about the veracity of facts, tyranny, and a disdain for the people There is also a reference to natural resources as a vital factor in deciding whether to go to war. Remind you of anyone?

Like all Greek dramas, these tales perpetually demonstrate the enduring influence of the human condition on history. The episodic format first tells the tale of Oedipus (Isaac Green), then of his wife and (spoiler alert) mother, Jocasta (Tamkin Khan) and their rival sons Polyneikes (George Lorimer) and Eteokles (Tyler Pringle).

Finally, and most powerful, we have the story of Antigone (Lili Mohammad). Throughout, visiting director Max Key marshals an impressively well-drilled chorus. Emily Hurst, Tesni Richards, Ellie Spooner and Kieran Devine may appear as support but drive the show along with regimented syncopated chants and choreography.

As trainees, we should not expect a fully polished cast, and some performers still have a way to develop. Khan’s Jocasta comes to life in a powerful scene, scolding the selfishness of her sons, who are determined to pile misery upon their family. Spike Maxwell’s soothsayer, Tieresias, commands full attention while they point long
tapering fingers around their staff, conjuring up body shapes that suggest a tragic mystical prophecy. Mohammad’s

Antigone is realistically forceful and defiant as she rebels against the cruel edict of her uncle and new king Kreon (Peter Devlin) against burying her brother Polyneikes.

The set serves the action well, with a raised dais with sheeting above a woodchip lower floor which allows plenty of versatility. However, the temptation to constantly pick up the chippings and use them as a metaphor is overdone and becomes highly repetitive.

The text, although laudably modern, is full of what seem lazy cliches and does not always convince.

Kieran Devine’s obvious comic talents are given an outing in his hilarious representation of the guard, but the choice of an isolated and dramatic change of tone jars somewhat in a counterpoint against the misery otherwise on show. The sound and lighting are first-rate, and it is a tribute to the BOVTS that so many skills
are honed within this excellent local institution.

Courses continue to be run and anyone interested in the shorter courses, including Young Conservatoire for aspiring actors aged 16-18, or in postgraduate ones can find more detail at: admissions@oldvic.acuk.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School: Thebans is at The Station on March 1-8 at 7pm, with additional 2pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

All photos: Craig Fuller

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