Blood of My Father

The neighbour heard the screams from next door, and Agamemnon’s body was found floating in the Thames. Young Orestes and Electra were suddenly the focus of the investigation…

Part Greek Tragedy, and part Police Procedural, Fifth Form student Darcey H’s imaginative reworking of Sophocles’ timeless classic provided a night of dramatic intrigue in a taut and twisty production that breathed new life into a tale as old as time.

Tejas T took centre stage as Officer Pallas, his clever interpretation mixing classical tropes with Line of Duty interrogation, while Darcey H and Ralph M were outstanding as Orestes and Electra, their sullen hard-bitten defences quickly breached to reveal the destructive aftermath of years of parental abuse. Izzy M and Izzy H’s intelligent portrayals of Demetra and Clytemnestra added psychological depth to the unfolding action, while Felix Z’s leather-jacketed Aegthius was full of edgy menace. Barney V as Ellios, Rufus P as the younger Orestes, and JJ M, (sometimes Agamemnon, sometimes DI Pallas’s tech-savvy sidekick), completed the cast, their nuanced and sensitive roles played with rare understanding and maturity.

This was an evening full of talent and rich in promise. While Darcey H’s sparkling script was the real star of the show, Ashleigh Walter’s Direction, Nick Huntington’s Production, and Nick Oliver Duncan’s Sound and Lighting design ensured that Blood of My Father was at all times compellingly relevant.

It was, quite simply, electrifying – so if you missed it first time round, be sure to catch it when it opens at the Edinburgh Fringe, later this summer!

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