", the hit play at Studio 54, is writer and director Robert Ickes' modern - and riveting - version of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Since that play was written around 425 B.C., I'm not spilling the beans by telling you it's about the King of Thebes (Oedipus) who unknowingly fulfills his destiny by killing his father and marrying his mother. When he discovers what he has done - what he can never "unsee" - he gouges out his eyes."
"In Ickes' adaptation, Oedipus is a politician poised on election night to become the president of an unnamed country. As played by the excellent Mark Strong, Oedipus is handsome, confident, arrogant, and ruthless. By his side is his wife Jocasta, a superb Lesley Manville who earned an Olivier Award for her performance during the show's London run. Jocasta is the perfect political spouse whose charm hides her own ambition."
"Critics have raved about Strong and Manville, and both will almost certainly receive Tony nominations for their performances. Strong last appeared on Broadway in 2015 in an acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, which earned him a Tony nod. His movie credits include Shazam!, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and The Imitation Game. Manville has had a long association with the great British director Mike Leigh, appearing in such films as High Hopes, Secrets & Lies, and Another Year."
Robert Ickes' adaptation places Oedipus as a politician on election night vying to become president of an unnamed country. Mark Strong portrays Oedipus as handsome, confident, arrogant, and ruthless. Lesley Manville plays Jocasta, a politically adept spouse whose charm conceals ambition and ultimately the horror of incest. When Oedipus learns he killed his father and married his mother, he gouges out his eyes, a scene that continues to elicit gasps. Strong and Manville have drawn widespread acclaim and are expected to receive Tony nominations. Both actors bring substantial stage and screen credits to their roles.
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