Oedipus | Robert Icke

Following a sold-out run in London’s West End, and almost right alongside its run on Broadway in New York, the Olivier Award-winning arresting rewriting of Sophocles’ tragedy arrives at Onassis Stegi. Directed by Robert Icke, his "Oedipus" premieres on the Onassis Stegi Main Stage on November 20, this time featuring a Greek cast.

Election night. A capable leader, the frontrunner in the race. A countdown ticking toward triumph. The polls predict a landslide victory. Everything is about to change. We may know the story of Oedipus, but we could never have imagined this contemporary reading of the ancient myth. Robert Icke’s work grips and shakes you to the core. What happens when everything you believed in collapses? When your very existence shatters before your eyes?

Sophocles’ 428 BC tragedy on the relentless force of fate is reimagined through the contemporary lens of public image, personal responsibility and the limits of human endurance. Brought to life with gripping intensity, sardonic humor, and scenes that echo both political thriller and family tragedy, British playwright and director Robert Icke—known to Greek audiences from "The Doctor" and his adaptation of George Orwell’s "1984"—returns with an "Oedipus" that cannot be ignored.

The Guardian - ★★★★★
Arifa Akbar

Opening in a campaign room on election night, Robert Icke’s modern retelling is riveting from beginning to end, the formidable leads supported by a stellar ensemble cast.

Financial Times – ★★★★★
Sarah Hemming

Icke’s staging buzzes with resonance in a world where truth is a contested commodity and politicians promising change stride across the public domain, where arguments rage about who belongs and who doesn’t. But it also goes much deeper. It reaches far into the nagging question of how much any of us really want to know, evoking that sudden lurch of panic when a partner’s infidelity, a redundancy or a medical diagnosis pulls the rug from under us and shifts our perception of who we are.

The Observer - ★★★★★
Susannah Clapp

There will surely not be a more powerful production in the UK this year. Robert Icke, who in 2015 created a searing 21st-century Oresteia, now brings to London his version of Oedipus, first seen in Amsterdam and Edinburgh in 2018. It is electric.

The Independent - ★★★★
Alice Saville

Writer and director Robert Icke reinvents the well-known story as a taut political thriller. Icke deliberately follows ancient Greek dramatic tradition by setting his play in a single space, the action spooling out in real time—which makes its eventual departure from convention yet another shock. The truth is literally blinding, here—and deafening, too—but he makes it impossible to look away, even for a moment.

The Stage - ★★★★
Dave Fargnoli

Robert Icke’s contemporary take on the tragedy is stylish and shattering.

Robert Icke becomes the youngest Olivier Award-winning director in history

“Oedipus” won two prizes at the prestigious Olivier Awards. Icke won best revival for “Oedipus” at the Oliviers and said in his acceptance speech that the chance to stage a new version of his adaptation at the Wyndham’s theatre had been “amazing.” After an ensemble of ITA actors performed it at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2019, the London production paired Mark Strong, in the title role, with Lesley Manville as Jocasta. Manville, who won the Olivier Award for best actress, said that Icke’s time at ITA had “shaped a lot” for him. “After that production, he did some reworking of ‘Oedipus.’ He was very happy and comfortable working in Amsterdam […] He obviously saw that it could have another life here.” Its success has left Manville “almost wanting to text Sophocles!” she joked.

Icke’s masterpiece on Broadway

Along with “Oedipus” at the Onassis Stegi, Icke’s masterpiece will be presented on Broadway. Starring Olivier Award winner Mark Strong (“Kingsman”) and Academy Award nominee Lesley Manville (“The Crown”), “Oedipus” on Broadway is “a gasp-inducing tale of truth and lies that sets the stage on fire.”