‘A sensitive exploration of Medea’s behaviour. . . handled well and without judgement, with much credit to Ruth Huish’s emotional and heartfelt portrayal’
Creative Facilitator Deborah Thomas guides a consensus-based approach from the company to Euripides’ great tragedy, endeavouring to remain faithful to its cultural roots by embracing the power of the chorus and a clear performance space, whilst incorporating more contemporaneous themes, and by and large it comes off.
Jason (Si Kneale) is set to marry Princess Creusa (Penelope White), the daughter of Creon, King of Corinth (Peter Thorne), yet the talk of the Women of Corinth (Laura Hughes; Zoëy Owen; Lizzi Hopkins)) is less about this occasion and more in concern to Jason’s ex-wife, Medea (Ruth Huish) who we initially hear in the background as her Nurse (Karen Campbell) opens the scene. If there’s anything worse than a spurned partner then it has to be one who’s renowned for supernatural sorcery and dismembering her own brother to help her then suitor and subsequent husband steal the infamous golden fleece.
With the threat of banishment hanging over her, the offer of safe passage by Ӕgeus (Tom Cutler) and the potential for the children (Hettie Huish; Rafferty Huish) and their tutor (Tom Hope-Parry) to remain secure suggests that maybe things are looking up for her after all.
The question is whether Creon’s unusually moral decision to allow her one final day to spend with her children will prove to be to everyone’s detriment, and with the arrival of Jason’s Best Man (Isaac Huish), we are about to find out the price of a woman scorned.
St Mary’s Creative Space is a delightful venue, but one that comes with its own set of challenges to consider with any production. I liked the promise of an immersive experience, but the use of raked seating resulted in a more traditional staging effect, and the opportunity to more fully involve the audience – as people of Corinth perhaps – within the heart of the action was lost.
The idea to replicate a Greek performance space with minimal staging and props was commendable but proved challenging with some of the cast often static or simply recitative in their delivery. That said, it is important to try different things out, so credit to the company for being brave enough to give it a go. I do wonder whether the singular vision of a sole director, rather than a company collaboration, would have strengthened the overall production as a whole.
Typical performances of Medea range in length from 80 – 100 minutes without an interval, although more recent productions have introduced one which was the approach adopted here. Whilst the break fell at a ‘convenient’ point in the play, at thirty minutes duration it was too long, and with its incorporation of a modern wedding disco theme, it felt at odds with where the drama had got to, although credit to the cast who got us quickly back on track in the second half.
There are good all-round performances from the cast as a whole with Kneale’s selfish and self-interested Jason and Campbell’s steadfast and loyal Nurse standing out, and both delivered some powerful, dynamic scenes in their interactions with Medea which I particularly enjoyed.
The ambition for a sensitive exploration of Medea’s behaviour in the context and pressure of having to fit into some societal norm was handled well and without judgement, with much credit to Ruth Huish’s emotional and heartfelt portrayal which provided some insight into her character’s inner psyche.
I must acknowledge the most informative of programmes that clearly set out the necessary detail of the back story, the modus operandi of Greek classical theatre, and the hopes and aspiration of the company for this production: you really couldn’t ask for more, and I know it will serve the large number of students attending from local schools and colleges well.
There are two further performances of Medea at St Mary’s Creative Space in Chester on 17th January at 7.30pm and 18th January at 2.30pm, before it transfers to King’s Christian Centre in Mold on Saturday 24th January at 7.30pm. Tickets are available via www.ticketsource.co.uk/suitcase-theatre
Review Date: 16th January 2026
Star Rating: THREE