LaReece Osborne
Staff Writer
Cameron’s Department of Art, Music and Theatre Arts recently performed their rendition of Sophocles’ “Electra,” continuing its “Celebrating the Stages through the Ages” theme.
The production ran on the evenings of Feb. 16-18, concluding with a matinee performance on the 19 in the Cameron University Theater.
Set shortly after the Trojan Wars in Mycenae, “Electra” was about a young woman (Joy Christie) aching for justice after her father Agamemnon’s death. The title character blamed her mother Clytemnestra (Shannon Badue) for his passing, claiming Clytemnestra had her father killed so she could marry another man, Aegisthus.
Electra plotted her mother’s death, confiding in her sister Chrysothemis (Samantha Eddy), who strongly advised against it. Instead, Chyrsothemis urged her sister to make amends with their mother.
However, Electra did not see reconciliation with her mother as a possibility and continued on with her murderous plans.
Throughout much of the play, Electra appeared highly depressed and overwhelmed with emotion. She remained in a “woe-is-me” state until she met her brother Orestes (James Spangle), whom many believed was dead.
When Orestes emerged, he presented Electra with the news of his survival. The two then successfully carried out the murderous plot against Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.
Director Dr. Deidre Onishi said the play displayed a dark and mysterious set which properly conveyed the emotionally distressed Electra’s frame of mind. Onishi incorporates Japanese costume, makeup and movements throughout the performance to further emphasize this concept.
The idea to incorporate Japanese qualities into a Greek tragedy fared well with the production team and audience members like spectator Jared Woodfork.
“[I was] very impressed by the Japanese qualities the play featured,” he said. “[I have] never seen anything like it before.”
Badue has been involved in other local plays but said she was very excited and happy to be part of this production.
“I’ve never been in a Greek tragedy before,” she said, “let alone one with Japanese performance undertones, so I [was] very excited to see how Dr. Onishi pulls it off. We’re all very eager and thrilled to be working on such a unique production.”
Onishi’s vision of “Electra” was full of tragedy, dark feelings, twisted drama and emotionally-driven performances. The performances were tremendous and left the audience very impressed and fully satisfied.