Gordin's View

These Seven Sicknesses ***

Erik Olson as Orestes, Betsy Lippitt as Elektra

The New York premiere of These Seven Sicknesses, a 5 hour marathon of all seven of Sophocles’s plays re-envisioned by playwright Sean Graney, opened at the Flea Theater in Tribeca. The evening directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar features a cast of 38 talented members of The Bats, the resident acting company of the Flea. The extraordinary production of These Seven Sicknesses, combines Sophocles’ seven surviving plays—Oedipus, In Trachis, Philoktetes, In Colonus, Ajax, Elektra & Antigone—into a vivid a portrayal of the human condition, where the merger of chance & fate brings about disturbing results.

Erik Olson as Orestes, Betsy Lippitt as Elektra

The New York premiere of These Seven Sicknesses, a 5 hour marathon of all seven of Sophocles’s plays re-envisioned by playwright Sean Graney, opened at the Flea Theater in Tribeca. The evening directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar features a cast of 38 talented members of The Bats, the resident acting company of the Flea. The extraordinary production of These Seven Sicknesses, combines Sophocles’ seven surviving plays—Oedipus, In Trachis, Philoktetes, In Colonus, Ajax, Elektra & Antigone—into a vivid a portrayal of the human condition, where the merger of chance & fate brings about disturbing results.

 

Satomi Blair as Jocasta

The awesome evening of classics is a smart, funny, and vital look at the past as a window to the present. The Macao Trading Co. Provided complimentary Asian foods during the dinner break and Billy’s Bakery provided dessert at the 2nd intermission. The stimulating evening is an innovative theatrical achievement not to be missed. The production, which began previews on January 19th , opened last night January 29 and has already by popular demand has been extended to February 26.
 
The Flea Theater is winner of a special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, as well as an Obie and Otto awards.
 

Grant Harrison as Ajax (among the sheep)

The dedicated members of The Bats includeTiffany Abercrombie, Matt Barbot, Yoni Ben-Yehuda, Satomi Blair, Dave Brown, Allison Buck, Charlotte Bydwell, Holly Chou, Jenelle Chu, Ugo Chukwu, Alexander Cook, Tommy Crawford, Eloise Eonnet, Bobby Foley, Katherine Folk-Sullivan, Glenna Grant, Cleo Gray, Alex Grubbs, Grant Harrison, Victoria Haynes, Cameran Hebb, Alex Herrald, Miles Jacoby, Betsy Lippitt, Sean McIntyre, Kate Michaud, Seth Moore, Erik Olson, Victor Joel Ortiz, Jeff Ronan, Marie Claire Roussel, Olivia Stoker, Stephen Stout, Liz Tancredi, Will Turner, Tony Vo, Nate Washburn, and Akyiaa Wilson.
 
The design team consists of Julia Noulin-Merat (set), Carl Wiemann (lighting), Loren Shaw (costumes), Patrick Metzger (sound), Michael Wieser (fight director), David Dabbon (music director), Greg VanHorn (dramaturg), and Edward Herman & Kara Kaufman (stage managers).
… Barry Gordin
Photography: Laura June Kirsch
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THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES runs January 19 – March 4, Wednesday – Saturday at 6:30pm, and Sunday at 4:30pm.  (NOTE: No performances Feb. 15 or 22). The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets (including dinner) are $50 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.