Review: Orestes, A Tragic Romp

Orestes, A Tragic Romp opened at the Folger Elizabethan Theatre in Washington, D.C. on January 27. Thanks to a Boston University field trip, I had the opportunity to attend the second performance of the show. The production is a modern adaptation of Euripides' timeless drama, grounded in Anna Washburn's accessible translation and Aaron Posner's brilliant direction.

The Trojan War is over. Upon returning from Troy, Agamemnon is brutally murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra. At the advice of the god Apollo, their son, Orestes, kills his mother to avenge his father's death. As the play begins, Orestes and his sister, Electra, who aided in her mother's murder, await the judgment of the citizens and the gods.

Holly Twyford had me at her opening soliloquy. Every flinch, every nervous glance, every clench of her fist expresses Electra's grief, desperation, and impassioned anger. And the 100-minute production never loses its momentum. Jay Sullivan's Orestes is dramatic and deliberate. Chris Genebach takes on four distinct characters with charm and astute comedic timing. But the re-imagined Greek chorus is reason enough to buy your ticket. Obie Award-winning composer James Sugg delivers an "intricate a cappella braid of chant, hand beat rhythms, and raw lyricism" that fully engulfs the theatre.

Orestes concludes its run at the Folger Shakespeare Library on March 7, after which the production continues at the Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Broadway Bound: Scott Alan and Natalie Weiss

I am excited to announce Broadway Bound, a new series honoring original material. On the first day of every month, I will feature an up-and-coming performer, along with an emerging writer, composer, or creative team. Inspired by Scott Alan's Monday Nights, New Voices series in New York City, it is only fitting to begin with him and a new voice he helped discover.

Scott Alan is a brilliant songwriter. He studied music, voice, and theater at Emerson College and Berkeley College of Music. At the age of 25, Alan moved from Hollywood, California to New York City to work on an original musical. Although it has yet to premiere, selected songs from Piece are available on Dreaming Wide Awake and Keys, collections of his original songs performed by some of Broadway's biggest stars. Since 2005, Alan has produced Monday Nights, New Voices, a weekly series that honors new talent in New York City. He has performed in front of sold out crowds in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and London, and is currently working on his third full length album.

Natalie Weiss was drawn to music from an early age. She attended a performing arts summer camp and a half-day performing arts high school. She received her BFA from Penn State in 2007. Weiss got her first big break when she stepped in for Edin Espinosa during Scott Alan's concert at Birdland in January 2008. Since then, she has collaborated with several talented writers, including Andrew Lippa, Jason Robert Brown and Jeremy Schonfeld. She recently returned from the second national tour of Wicked, where she performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Elphaba. Below, she sings I'm A Star.