Medea at Epidaurus

Friday 22 July 2011.
I'm sitting in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus finding it hard to believe I'm waiting for a performance of Medea to begin. The sun has set and the evening breeze is finally cooling everything off. On the sandy stage is a modernistic representation of the ship Argonaut and a cauldron full of water for ablutions. Evidently, the performance will take place entirely in the defined circle of the chorus area, not on the skene or "stage" area. They've just finished performing an acoustic test which consisted of a swooping electronic sound, and they'll do another ns 15 minutes. I scalped a ticket at the entrance, although scalped is not the right word since I paid full price. It was offered by a nice Swiss man who chided me for my reluctance to trust a scalper...the Swiss love to lecture people. The transaction was conducted in French. Other languages are useful. I'm glad I bought his ticket, which was on the 3rd row, since these lower tier seats are supplied with cushions; I wasn't looking forward to sitting on the stone. On the other hand, I would like the perspective of sitting higher up to see if the acoustical claims for the theatre are accurate. The day has been long but pleasant. We had a long drive from Delfi, but it was enjoyably broken at a nice little restaurant on the Corinthian Gulf. The sea breezes were refreshing, the beer was cold, and the food was good. My travelling companions were looking forward to some down time in Nafplio, but I was focused on one of the main objects of my Odyssey, this performance.

Post performance.
Michelin ranks sites with 3 stars: a one-star site is worth visiting if it's on your way; a two-star site is worth a slight detour; a three-star site is worth the trip. This performance was worth the trip. This is what visitors should come to Greece for, not the beaches or the lines of tourist shops selling inferior merchandise, but for a cultural experience which reminds us of the Greek contribution to human history and how immediate the appeal can be of the ancient tragedies. While cultures come and go, human nature remains much the same as it was 2500 years ago. Medea is a welcome female tragic heroine who ethically stands up for both her rights as a human being and the right of society to expect humans to live up to be true to their word. This performance was a modern Greek translation. I was familiar enough with the plot the follow the progression of Medea's emotional roller coaster as she acknowledged her supposed mate's infidelity and devised a plan to repay him for his transgression. Two children were on stage for most of the play to remind us of the human cost of our actions. I had used this play in my dissertation as an example of the consequences of breaking promises. It would make for a good discussion in an ethics class. The acting was suberb, the staging was simple and elegant, it was magnificent! Special kudos to the Corinthian chorus of women. Their recitation was so perfect as to sound like one strong, intelligent voice, and many of the choral odes were sung, and in harmony. You can only hope to experience this type of performance, not describe it. It was an incomparable experience and the highlight of my trip.