Stephen Michael Spencer (left) as Jason berates Sarin Monae West as Medea in Medea Re-Versed at the Sheen Center Frank Shiner Theatre.
Medea Re-Versed, co-conceived by Luis Quintero and Nathan Winkelstein, gives Euripides’ ancient tragedy hip-hop vibes. Directed by Winkelstein, this coproduction by the Off-Broadway companies Red Bull Theater and Bedlam aims to expand the traditional theater audience—and with the dynamic Sarin Monae West as the princess and sorceress, it’s likely to succeed.
Medea (foreground) with Creon (Jacob Ming-Trent) Jason (left rear), and the Beatbpxer (Mark Martin) in a scene from Medea-Reversed, a hip-hop version of Euripides' ancient classic.
Luis Quintero, as the Chorus Leader/Emcee, breaks the fourth wall at the get-go and informs the audience that they will be transitioning into the sacred land of Greek drama and to put their “distractions” away:
But this is not a common address today
And I need you to focus on what I say
So please turn off all your phones and your devices
Or you might disrespect Dionysus. …
The action takes place outside Medea’s house. Jason and Medea have been married for 10 years and live in Corinth with their two young sons. However, Jason, for political reasons, has recently found a new princess bride, the daughter of King Creon.
Although Creon is in his royal glory with his daughter’s marriage, he strongly suspects that the green-eyed monster is incubating within Medea and that she might harm Jason, his newlywed daughter, and himself. Consequently, he orders Medea and her sons banished from the city. But Medea, her mind bubbling over like hot lava, cunningly asks Creon that their exile be delayed for 24 hours.
The show truly comes into focus when West, as Medea, enters and takes center stage, revealing her desperate and dangerous state of mind. West has a commanding presence, a clarion voice, and doesn’t mince words on what she might do if she crosses paths with Jason’s new bride:
Cuz as my mind sits, I might take two knives like ice picks
Teach the pupils of the bride to arise from their eyelids.
Naturally, some previous knowledge of the play helps orient audience members in their appreciation of the show. Although veteran theatergoers are likely to have seen a number of Medeas over the years, younger audience members may well be encountering this 5th-century BCE play for the first time. Fortunately, Quintero’s treatment of the work, which he subtitles “A Hip Hopera,” converts it into a theater piece that speaks the same colloquial language as Generation X.
“The fierce conjugal battle between Jason and Medea is counterpointed with flashbacks to the couple’s first meeting.”
Medea Re-Versed turns meta at times, dredging up that ancient Greek term for alternating dialogue, stichomythia, and points out that this device is altogether in synch with the show’s hip-hop rhythms (“I’ll keep it clear with rhythm and stichomythia”). In short, Quintero reminds the audience that he’s relying on old dramatic tools to tell a new version of Medea.
The fierce conjugal battle between Jason and Medea is counterpointed with flashbacks to the couple’s first meeting, when Jason and the Argonauts came to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason’s task had been set by his power-hungry uncle, who had usurped the throne from Jason’s father and hoped to be rid of his nephew. But when Medea first glimpsed Jason, she was smitten and, with her sorcery, she helped him get the fleece.
As the Chorus Leader explains:
Of course, it’s she who killed the serpent
And now she lives in Corinth where she gave birth to her kids
A phenomenal mom, she’d be the one he’d lean on
But he’s gone to cheat on her with a teen of Creon’s.
Ming-Trent also plays Aegeus, with Medea (foreground) and Martin (background). Photographs by Carol Rosegg.
For all the show’s virtues, the verse sometimes falls into doggerel, with the rhymes becoming predictable and sing-songy. While it’s true that few have the rhyming genius of Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim, Quintero would do well to weed out or rework a few of his lackluster rhymes.
When it comes to the acting, there are no weak links. Stephen Michael Spencer inhabits Jason with the arrogance of a man accustomed to getting his own way. Jacob Ming-Trent, who doubles as Creon, Aegeus, and the Messenger, nails each of his supporting roles. Quintero is pitch-perfect as the Chorus Leader/Emcee, who truly empathizes with Medea as an exile but condemns her warped judgment. While all the aforementioned performers shine, there’s no question that West has the star turn as Medea. Her unflagging vocal delivery, her square-shouldered posture when delivering her laments, and her facial expressions all combine to make her performance memorable.
Although this streamlined version of Euripides’ play jettisons several minor characters and keeps Medea’s sons offstage, this new update of the old story is potent indeed. Although purists may thumb their noses at this show as gimmicky, Medea Re-Versed has a lot going for it. It’s worth giving it a go.
Medea Re-Versed runs through Oct. 13 at the Sheen Center (18 Bleecker St.). Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday; matinees are at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit sheencenter.org.
Playwrights: Co-conceived by Luis Quintero and Nathan Winkelstein (adapted from Euripides’ Medea)
Direction: Nathan Winkelstein
Music Direction: Mark Martin
Scenic Design: Emmie Finckel
Costume Design: Nicole Wee
Lighting Design: Cha See
Sound Design: Matt Otto
