REVIEW: Oedipus the King, Mama

The Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades (not to be confused with its sister Getty Center museum in Brentwood) offers each year a summer series of classical theater at an outdoor venue that is modeled after ancient Greek and Roman amphitheaters.

Though they usually present classics, we opted to see a production called "Oedipus the King, Mama," put on by a local L.A. based commedia dell'arte acting company called the Troubador Theater—a mashup between the classic tragedy, Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, and the music of Elvis Presley.

It was very entertaining and funny, including interactions with the audience that occasionally became running gags, as well as plenty of topical jokes and shout outs to nearby Malibu and other California towns and cities (a reference to the “Oedipus files” got a good laugh).

That said, even with the laughs and crowd-pleasing music (with Oedipus dressed as fat Elvis in his iconic Vegas jumpsuit), it says much about the power of the original play that the horror of the tragedy still comes through and lands with the audience.

One other interesting tidbit—because the Getty is located in a residential area and these are evening shows, it’s clear they accommodate that by somewhat muting the sound and music. In fact, the production made an amusing reference to it during the performance, and in the introduction before the play, the venue did explicitly ask the audience to be respectful of the neighborhood by keeping voices and music low when departing at the end of the evening.