OEDIPUS EL REY

SEASON 2010

World Premiere by Luis Alfaro
Directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera

In this gritty reimagining of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, the modern kingdom is the barrio of East LA. Our ruler, just released from prison, is in search of a new place called home. Along the way he faces off with a wounded queen, a three-headed born-again serpent and a king with road rage. Is our young homeboy doomed to suffer his destiny? The word on the street is not good, but great love conquers all. A shared world premiere with San Francisco’s Magic Theatre.

Oedipus el Rey was a National New Play Network rolling world premiere with San Francisco’s Magic Theatre and Washington DC’s Wooly Mammoth Theatre Company.

cast

Carlos Acuna
Leandro Cano
Daniel Chacon
Marlene Forte
Justin Huen
Winston J. Rocha
Michael Uribes

Understudies

Robert Almodovar
Alberto De Diego
Reggie De Leon
William Scott Figueroa
Richard Gallegos
Christopher Rivas

Production Team

Sound Design & Music Composition – Robert Oriol
Scenic Design – John H. Binkley
Lighting Design – Jeremy Pivnick
Costume Design – Dori Quan
Properties Design – Shannon Dedman
Fight Choreographer – Edgar Landa
Assistant Director – Nathan Singh
Production Stage Manager – Jaclyn Kalkhurst
Casting Director – Michael Donovan, CSA
Key Art – Christopher Komuro
Production Photographer – Ed Krieger

“Luis Alfaro’s version updates [Oedipus Rex] imaginatively and poetically…Astoundingly real and electrifying…The actors Justin Huen and Marlene Forte irresistibly compel us…This work might remind us why the Greeks developed and supported theater.” – Backstage

“Nothing I write will adequately do this show justice. Please allow me to be blunt on the outset: This show is fantastic! …Oedipus el Rey is a brilliant, reverent and worthy reimagining of the timeless original penned by Sophocles. Justin Huen is electrifying as Oedipus, the ill-fated pawn of the gods. Marlene Forte portrays a Jocasta whose sorrow and [grief] are palpable…This production is a tour de force of exceptional performances that will leave you breathless…simply outstanding.” – LA Splash

“You want to see something that’s really…hot? On a stage in L.A.? Check out the first meeting of Oedipus (Justin Huen) and Jocasta (Marlene Forte) in Luis Alfaro’s new Oediupus el Rey, at the Boston Court. The sexual electricity ignites the room…Alfaro brilliantly honors the essence of Sophocles’ world view…it’s sleek and streamlined.” – LA Stage Blog

“Jocasta [is] played flawlessly by Marlene Forte. Huen’s rugged and explosive youth is complemented by Forte’s deep and sensual sadness. Their chemistry is disturbingly electric…especially poignant is the humor, which delicately balances the tragedy…the final moments are frightfully stunning.” – LA Theatre Review

“Electric…a spellbinding dance of pain and eroticism. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera works seamlessly with his team of designers to achieve a stark elegance…the final image chills.” – LA Times

“Out-and-out brilliant theater…with Alfaro’s often poetic words spoken by an absolutely superb ensemble under the brilliant direction of Jon Lawrence Rivera, Oedipus el Rey is simply theater at its finest…Justin Huen is an absolutely stunning Oedipus…positively electric.” – Stage Scene LA

“Brilliantly staged…memorable and moving.” – LA Weekly

“A great success, thanks to the fine writing, excellent and imaginative direction, and strong casting…absolutely riveting…See it if you enjoy good theatre.” – Theatre Review LA

“A bold retelling of the myth, with stark and effective staging (set by John H. Binkley) and a driving urgent rhythm.” – LA Theater Reviews Examiner

“A fiercely authentic production with a superb troupe of perfectly cast actors…electrifyingly powerful.” – Out and About Magazine