Dark as sin

In Spanish when something is gruesome you can say that it is as 'dark as sin' (negro como el pecado). I cannot think of any better phrase to summarise what the first revival of Charles Edwards’s production of Elektra was like. When it was premiered in 2003, most of us thought Edwards had designed good sets (vaguely inspired by Bauhaus buildings), but had not done enough work upon the actual direction of actors. With the help of Leah Hausman, this revival has addressed this issue and has meticulously worked on the movement, mostly to great results. As an exception, I should mention that the meaning of the final scene, in which Elektra puts on a mask and bleeds, admittedly escaped me. Otherwise, Edwards and Hausman succeeded in presenting this household as one suffering from extreme decadence and where gruelling violence is part of…