Electra/Persona Review: a Masterclass in Stage Acting From Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss
Blanchett and Hoss swap roles by coin toss in a 125-minute double bill that shifts from Greek tragedy to Bergman’s identity puzzle.
- At the National Theatre, director Benedict Andrews presents Electra/Persona, a 125-minute production starring Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss, where a coin toss determines which actress plays the lead roles each evening.
- Andrews frames the evening as "one hinged work," exploring shared themes of grief, identity, and mother-child relationships between Sophocles' Electra and Ingmar Bergman's Persona, utilizing a handheld camera to project live close-ups.
- Supporting actors Ella Lily Hyland and Patrick Robinson join the leads on designer Magda Willi's minimalist set of wooden steps, creating an intimate psychological space that critics identify as a production high point.
- Electra/Persona has become one of London's hottest tickets, with many performances sold out; the production runs at the Lyttelton Theatre through October 10, with remaining tickets available on TodayTix.
- Following their previous collaboration in Todd Field's 2022 film Tár, Blanchett and Hoss deliver raw performances in this ambitious production, reflecting the National Theatre's commitment to avant-garde interpretations of classic texts.
11 Articles
11 Articles
‘Electra/Persona’ Theater Review: Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss Are Magnificent in Benedict Andrews’ Ambitious Double Bill
Reuniting on stage after co-starring in 'Tar,' Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss explore cross currents between Sophocles and Bergman in 'Electra/Persona.
Electra/Persona review: a masterclass in stage acting from Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss
Starring two actresses as acclaimed as Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss, known for playing wives in Todd Field's Tár, theatregoers have been expecting to be in for a treat with the National Theatre's Electra/Persona. And, despite a sometimes fussy script, they certainly are.As the slash in the title suggests, Electra/Persona is a play of two halves. The first "half" (there is no interval) is Electra, Sophocles' classic Greek tragedy following a grie…
Electra/Persona review: Strong performances can't save this misstep
Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and her Tár co-star Nina Hoss give raw and fine-grained performances in a mashup that refuses to mesh here. The first half of Benedict Andrews’ show is a modern-argot interpretation of the rage and grief Agamemnon’s daughter feels toward Clytemnestra, the mother who murdered him. The second adapts Ingmar Bergman’s determinedly enigmatic 1966 film where the personalities of a famous, dumbstruck actress and her chatterb…
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