Review: OEDIPUS THE KING, MAMA! at The Getty Villa & Troubadour Theater Company
The king gets a king-sized upgrade
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Regular attendees of the Getty Villa’s annual summer show are in for a change of pace this season. Considering the Villa’s proximity to the fires earlier this year, it feels fitting that Oedipus the King, Mama! not only enlists LA’s own Troubadour Theater Company— a local company as opposed to an out-of-town collaborator— but also that the “Troubies” have infused the drama of Oedipus with their zany brand of irreverent fun and the music of Elvis Presley. Does anyone in LA really want to sit through a formal tragedy right now? The result is a 90 minute riff on the classic tragedy that is silly, energetic, and downright stupid. But don’t let the dopey gags distract you: there is a masterful level of artistry at play which allows the audience to have as much fun as the performers.
For starters, the cast is uniformly excellent. I’ll admit, when I saw that the company’s artistic director had written and directed the show along with taking on the titular role, I was nervous. Troubadour Theater Company is in its 30th year of programming, and that feels about long enough for someone at the head to start making hubris-driven decisions that may belong in a Greek tragedy rather than behind the scenes of one. However, these nerves can only be explained because I was unfamiliar with Matt Walker’s infectious energy, lightning-quick wit, and boundless charisma. His Elvis/Oedipus won over the audience by the end of his first number and he never lost our collective attention for the duration of the piece. Other stand-outs in the cast include Beth Kennedy, whose Jocasta delivers on every possible Freud joke one can imagine, Rick Batalla who repeatedly delights as Creon by diverting from the script, and Philip McNiven who just seems perfect in any role he undertakes. With Broadway-sanctioned vocals from Steven Booth, a rocking sphinx voiced by Cloie Wyatt Taylor, and a trio of chorus dancers hitting high kicks, this show is well worth the price of admission.
All throughout, Bo Tindell’s colorful lighting design saturates the amphitheater space, transforming the marble trappings into a Vegas extravaganza, while puppets designed by Matt Scott perfectly punctuate dramatic moments. With a live band led by Benet Braun, the evening is a perfect summer excursion. Are there a few pandering, topical half-jokes thrown in there? Sure. But you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who sat through opening night without at least cracking a smile. Overall, with minimal amplification, the show packs all the razzle and dazzle of a big budget musical with sumptuous offerings of song and dance interpolated with some good, old-fashioned boob jokes. The Getty Villa and Troubadour Theater Company have a feel-good, laugh out loud hit with this summer’s Oedipus.
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