Review: ELECTRA at Classical Theatre Company

As I was waiting for an Uber outside The Deluxe Theater, a man asked me, “Did you just see the play in there? Man, I loved it. We need more tragedy!” I wanted to ask him if he had watched the news, read any papers, or knew that the Classical Theatre Company was currently in its season of “Sad plays for sad times.” We got tragedy! I also thought to myself, “What does ELECTRA from Sophocles say to our era and where we are today? And what does director Jon Harvey see in it?” It’s all about grief and outrage at injustice, a play that deals in swift and deadly emotions. It’s a meditation on vengeance. Where would Electra and her brother Orestes fit in today? Who is so consumed by grief that they have lost their moral compass? 

This version of ELECTRA is set in modern-ish times, or at least in a period when AM radio provided local news and played rock from artists like the Runaways and No Doubt. I wanted to call in and request some Hole, because surely Courtney Love could be a modern Electra. Or maybe Shirley Manson from Garbage could provide her theme in “I’m Only Happy When It Rains.” Nevertheless, Electra and her family are reimagined in modern clothes, living in a graffiti-littered metal bunker. There’s the HTown mantra of “BE SOMEONE,” and a politically-charged “NO KINGS” symbol in spray paint. A radio deejay provides us with the backstory, and we are suddenly in the world of Electra, who harbors endless grief for her father, whom her mother killed with her current lover. They rule the kingdom, and Electra and her sister are slaves. She has sent her brother into hiding, whom she hopes will return to exact revenge. Wailing and waiting for bloody vengeance are her only concerns.  

Central to this epic tragedy is the role of Electra, and we have one of Houston’s brightest and best actresses in the part, Lindsay Ehrhardt. She throws herself into the physicality of grief, often contorting her tall, lanky frame into wonderfully insect-like positions at key points. But Lindsay is a masterful comedienne, and sometimes her Electra feels performative in her grief and lust for revenge. She seems teenage in her rebellion, more petulant than pissed,  something that seems reinforced by Costume Designer Leah Smith’s decision to give her clothes that appear to come from HOT TOPIC. She’s just a girl in this world raging against the machine, and I expected her to hand out ‘zines to the audience. She doesn’t feel as dangerous as I expected, and maybe that is because I grew up with this girl in the 90s. I get where they are going, but it’s a little too bright to scream tragic heroine. Lindsay commands the language and delivers an intelligent performance, but it also seems more on the top rather than mining the bottom pit for the heartache. Lindsay does manage an electric moment at the play’s climax when everything comes to a head. In that instant, I see Electra. It’s funny because Lindsay uses no words and barely any movement to pull this off. 

Shannon Emerick’s menacing mother fares better in tone. The actress makes a grand, evil entrance, sweeping in sporting shoulder pads and a power suit. You almost anticipate a cliche, yet she delivers a layered performance that is passionate, even if Clytaemnestra’s murder of her husband seems misguided. She navigates the surface and the depths. The same can be said for Seth Carter Ramsey’s brother, Orestes. He seems wholly committed to the deeds that are fated to happen, and he bubbles with both violence and consideration, all mixed into a complex cauldron. His performance pops! Andreas Hunt has a wonderful booming voice and stage presence to spare as Aegisthus, and Elissa Cuellar is captivating as the chorus. Madison Alicia Prentiss plays another “girl trope” as Electra’s sister, a simple sorority version of Chrysothemis. But her character seems to have reason not to mine the depth; she’s a simple pawn in this endgame. Matthew Keenan is a unique presence as the tutor to Orestes, and he adds a lot of color to his plot-explaining character.  

Design-wise, the show is colorful and well-executed. Matthew Keenan does double duty as both actor and scenic designer, and I loved the lived-in feel of the vines and the street art he has brought to this world. Edgar Guajardo’s lights are a show all on their own. And boy, Michael Mullins pulls out all the stops with a crazy-awesome sound design. Leah Smith’s costumes are cheeky, and they mix a lot of pop references. I think they work extremely well, save for the look of the leading lady. 

But could director Jon Harvey be purposefully lightening his ELECTRA for this era? Does he want a more pop-friendly approach? Do we need that now? These are all questions that only he can answer, but the show itself has a nice pace and energy. It is well thought out and provoking in many ways. His vision is pretty clear, and that is the mark of a good artist. I think I was looking for the dark, and he offered some light. ELECTRA is a complex play, and perhaps his cover of it just seeks a new tone. But I would like a little more tragic in my tragedy. ELECTRA is still really well-done, as all Classical Theatre Company shows are. They make you think, and this one leaves you meditating on what tragedy means to you.