The Oresteia
Warnings: Not suitable for those aged under 15, or the easily offended.
Audio described performance: 22nd August 2026 at 2.30pm
Captioned performance: 29th August 2026 at 2.30pm
A huge, moving, bloody saga, the original of all family dramas. Haunted by war, trauma and inter-generational conflict, Aeschylus’ greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done?
Simon Stone directs his own adaptation.
(seen at the afternoon performance on 8th August 2026)
This is not “The Oresteia” as we know it – actors bounding about in togas, murdering each other with the best of intentions.
Simon Stone states that his play is “after Aeschylus & Others.” On this showing, the “others” are anybody who has written an ITV 9pm midweek drama in the last decade.
The major issue with the play itself is that, updated to current times, there is no reasonable motivation for familial homicide. We just do not do that unless psychotic, and it is almost impossible to suspend disbelief to give the concept credibility.
Even if the writing were to survive this, Lizzie Clachan’s set design places the action mostly behind the glass windows of a very beautiful ultramodern home.
Maybe we are supposed to be voyeurs, maybe zoo visitors. Either way, it cuts us off entirely from forming emotional contact with the actors and their tale.
Peter Rice is defeated in his attempt to make the voices emanating from the next room human. Every one sounds tinny and unnatural. Add Katrina Rose’s mood-killing soundscape and Nick Schliper’s unfortunately reflected lighting plot and the troubles mount.
In directorial mode, Stone uses both levels of the home, revolving one room into view while finishing a scene in the one revolving out. The effect is clearly intended as “cinematic.”
As outgoing theatre owner Nicholas Hytner could have told him, the actual effect is “chaotic” and deeply annoying for all audience members not directly in line with centre stage.
Fortunately, some performances are worthwhile.
Rosie Sheehy proves stunningly versatile going from working class “Guess How Much I Love You” to overly monied Alice with highly amusing personality.
Tom Glynn-Carney sells us troubled Augie regardless of the clearly massacred role. Lines appear missing, but he leaps gaps to deliver.
Should anyone require a Jeremy Clarkson double, Lloyd Hutchinson is your man. His Melville has more than a touch of Diddly Squat owner, while doubling as police officer Lester shows a wide range.
With the rest of the cast coping equally with their Emmental of a script, the durability of the ensemble is to be commended.
The monkey puts most of all this down to the failure of producer Wouter van Ransbeek. Over an hour of text was cut between first preview and press night. Sadly, too late to cut the grandiose presentation too.
A very simple tale of family betrayal lies somewhere in one of those artfully placed cupboards. A producer’s tight grip on the director’s whims (and you can take that as a euphemism) could have been to considerable advantage.
What we get, as the monkey remarked to the person next to it is, as Bill the Quill put it so well, something "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
A horrible missed opportunity.
Nora Fawle:
Fri, 3rd July 2026This was the first full showing of the play and it last 4.5 hours instead of the advertised 3.5 hours. It was rambling and chaotic at times and poorly scripted. David Morissette was excellent and his character was great but the other characters were annoying. I presume several of the scenes will be cut out before the next performance. There were many boos at the end.
Seats (W13):Great view and comfortable seats albeit at an angle.
Venue:
A great venue with plenty of toilets and a good bar.
Allen Lewis:
Fri, 3rd July 2026A gripping powerful drama with excellent performances and technically impressive. I don’t understand how it can go an hour and a half over time at four and a half hours. Nevertheless the fact that the audience remained in their seats to the end is testimony enough.
Seats (Row F):Venue:
The monkey advises checking performance times on your tickets and that performances are happening as scheduled, before travelling.
| Run Time: | 3 hours 30 minutes, including 2 intervals |
| Monday: | 7pm |
| Tuesday: | 7pm |
| Wednesday: | 7pm |
| Thursday: | 1.30pm, 7pm |
| Friday: | 7pm |
| Saturday: | 1.30pm, 7pm |
| Sunday: | X |
Venue Box Office & Current Prices
0333 320 0051Venue box office details and show price charts are available on the Bridge Theatre page.
Ticketpipe
The OresteiaLoveTheatre.com
Lovetheatre.com. Charge around 10% booking fee per ticket. They are owned by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and often have good deals on shows at ATG venues.
See Tickets
See Tickets. Charge around 10% booking fee per ticket, plus £2.75 per booking (not per ticket) postal charge. They are owned by ticketing group Eventim.
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster.co.uk. Charge around 8% to 10% booking fee per ticket. Handling fees may also be added. This is the largest ticketing agency worldwide.
TodayTix
TodayTix. Charge between 10% and 20% booking fee per ticket. Discounts are often available as this is a large global ticketing company with this specific aim.
London Theatre Direct
Londontheatredirect.com. Charge between 10% and 25% booking fee per ticket. Discounts are frequently available. Part of Trafalgar Theatre Group, known for customer service and unique offers.
Address: 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
Box Office: 0333 320 0051
More details: Seats to buy or avoid at this venue plus travel information and other details can be found on the Bridge Theatre page
