Sophocles, the famous 5th century BC Athenian tragedian, is believed to have written 120 plays, of which only seven survived. Oedipus the King, called Oedipus Tyrannus or Oedipus Rex, is considered not only his most brilliant play but also the quintessential expression of Greek tragedy. Its adaptations, when thoughtfully produced, continue to fascinate and will forever keep audiences on the edge of their seats—as the most gripping thriller—in the impossible hope for a different outcome despite the early revelation in the story of Oedipus’s tragic fate.
The most recent Broadway revival of Oedipus opened on November 13 at Studio 54. This contemporary adaptation, directed by Robert Icke, situates the plot within the context of a political election. Having premiered in the West End, the production brings many of its revered cast and creative team to New York. Mark Strong resumes the role of Oedipus, while Lesley Manville returns as Jocasta—a performance for which she won an Olivier Award. The ensemble includes Samuel Brewer as Teiresias, Bhasker Patel as Corin, Jordan Scowen as Eteocles, and James Wilbraham as Polyneices, all of whom performed in the London production.
Stage director Robert Icke, the youngest recipient of an Olivier Award, offers a thrilling vision of the iconic tragedy. Set against the tense backdrop of a political campaign, with Oedipus depicted as a candidate dedicated to truth and transparency, the story is meant to unfold in real time over the course of election night. The two-hour, intermission-less performance sizzles with suspense as revelations of both electoral outcomes and devastating personal truths approach.
Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in Oedipus – Photo: Julieta Cervantes
The action is confined within the election campaign headquarters, which simultaneously serve as the temporary residence of Oedipus’s family. Hildegard Bechtler’s set design characterized by immaculate whiteness, with lighting by Natasha Chivers, evokes both the clinical atmosphere of a modern office and the evanescence of human existence. As the drama progresses and time—indicated by the presence of an enormous digital clock counting down to zero—contracts, elements of the set are gradually removed. It is as though this stripping away of all inanimate objects aims to mirror the peeling of the layers of illusion surrounding Oedipus and his fatal origin story.
True to the original, Oedipus’s quest for truth is the central driving force of the plot as he strives to resolve the uncertainties surrounding his birth and the mysterious death of Laius—his wife Jocasta’s previous husband and the former ruler. At the start, Oedipus pledges to investigate Laius’s death, which occurred three decades before, unaware that he himself was responsible for the fatal car accident that killed Laius. The prophet Teiresias, played by Samuel Brewer as a member of a cult endowed with foresight, hesitantly discloses that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother, which sets the protagonist on his feverish, horrifying path to uncovering the truth.
As Oedipus, Mark Strong gives the impression of a finely tuned instrument of theatre, in both speech and movements. His diction is flawless; one can understand every word, even in his very soft vocal modulations. He possesses a panther-like physicality, lithe and elastic, and just as every word is fully pronounced without sounding exaggerated, so every gesture is intentional and completed. Nothing in his vocal and physical expressions is left hanging in the air, vague, or unfinished. Even at the height of despair when his outbursts pierce the heart, everything still has form and purpose without seeming in any way contrived. Strong is a master at combining intensity with precision even in his rawest moments, which makes those moments all the more powerful because he drives emotion through to the audience with the deep exactness of a surgeon’s knife. Overall, he delivers a commanding, intense, charismatic, and heartbreaking portrayal of Oedipus.
Jordan Scowen as Eteocles, Olivia Reis as Antigone, Mark Strong as Oedipus, Lesley Manville as Jocasta, James Wilbraham as Polyneices, Anne Reid as Merope, and Bhasker Patel as Corin in Oedipus – Photo: Julieta Cervantes
Strong has a formidable partner in Lesley Manville as Jocasta. Dynamic, witty, and sensual, she employes a range of vocal colors and nuances to express the character’s spectrum of emotions: from determined optimism to encouragement to tenderness to desperation to sadness. Her voice is a mesmerizing combination of smoldering chest resonance coupled with head voice, which at times makes her sound deliciously haunting and tantalizing. Her monologue about her first husband who manipulated her into a relationship when she was thirteen years old is absolutely devastating. And in a production that alludes to Obama—when Oedipus promises that he will make his birth certificate public—adding this dreadful layer of sexual manipulation of teenage girls inevitably brings to mind Epstein. The audience’s horrified reaction is instant: gasps followed by stunned silence. In fact, the audience is so still and riveted throughout the entire performance that you can hear a pin drop.
Strong shows his playful and tender sides in interactions with his mostly grown children, who are three here, instead of four as in the original. Daughter Antigone (Olivia Reis) reflects on the difference between a paradox and a riddle, and is fiercely outspoken, if not always clear in diction. The two sons, flirtatious Eteocles (Jordan Scowen) and secretly gay Polyneices (James Wilbraham) convey vibrant youthfulness as they argue, leading to the revelation of their own secrets that result in an affecting conversation between Polyneices and Oedipus.
The adaptation introduces Oedipus’ adoptive mother, Merope—a character absent from Sophocles’s original text—portrayed bitingly and touchingly by Anne Reid. Merope seeks to impart crucial information to her son who keeps delaying their discussion. John Carroll Lynch’s earnest performance as Creon, Oedipus’s campaign manager and brother-in-law, highlights Creon’s cautious, sage disposition and provides a counterbalance to Oedipus’s resolute, impetuous character.
All in all, this Oedipus is an utterly captivating production and an absolute must-see!
Oedipus runs through February 8, 2026, at Studio 54.
Top: Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in Oedipus – Photo: Julieta Cervantes
