Enter Ophelia

Ophelia - a muse for the ages!

And so it goes with Enter Ophelia, an exciting new production that unites Essential Theatre’s Shakespearean expertise and Three Birds Theatre’s propulsion to reinvent female characters into powerful self-driven figures.

This production sees five women from diverse theatre backgrounds combine their blend of talents and experiences to create a seriously funny, rather gothic, and somewhat grim reinvention of the Ophelia myth. Along with a spoonful of rhythmic nonsense: l can almost hear the echo of Lewis Carroll’s white rabbit lurking by the riverbank.

But it is the pre Raphaelite painting titled “Ophelia” by Millais that sets theatrical precedence, whilst Hamlet the play is the grinding ground stone.  The choral love cries of their Denmark – their inner sanctum. The whimsical and farcical love woes of Ophelia, who has fallen into the river whilst gathering flowers near an overhanging tree. Has she drowned?

The tactical chess game between Ophelia and Gertrude is steady in pace and poignant in detail. Who will win?

John Kachoyan, the director and dramaturg, is masterful in weaving his suberb cast seamlessly into an almost continuous dance-like rhythm. Purely magical to watch!

The sound design is energetic and robust with a range of dancing, discordant, jarring sounds packaged brilliantly by Russell Goldsmith.

Enter Ophelia is a magnificent ensemble of such fine performers and writers who delve in to the classics to gather their flowering words to engage us with beautiful lyrical and poignant allegories, metaphors and allusions.

Enter Ophelia is such a sumptuous atmospheric cornucopia of literature and art.

I have only high praise for this truly amazing production!

Catch it before it heads off to Edinburgh!

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Theresa Harrison