Review of Emma Hawkins and Carrie Penn’s Persephone.

Michaelmas (Autumn) term 2021 at Oxford was characterised by many things; however, amongst the drama community Emma Hawkins’ musical Persephone stood out. Taking a familiar mythical tale and reinventing for a new generation, the cast and crew brought this iconic story to life for a week at the Oxford Playhouse. Now that the summer has arrived the play has taken a new journey, releasing an album of the soundtrack and adventuring across Britain to share this take of ‘the little old town’. While some of the actors may have changed, the narrative remains very much the same – with only one obvious scene alteration. Audience members who saw the original may mourn the loss of the iconic trees, yet cannot deny that they were not needed to create a spectacular performance. The simple set pieces that the touring company have brought with them are utilised with versatility, sliding seamlessly into the choreography.

Everyone is familiar with the traditional myth of Persephone, yet this play questions everything you thought you knew. While I will attempt not to give too many spoilers, I will say this adaptation subverts roles and expectations as the play follows the story an innocent young girl who encounters the outside world in a whirlwind of experiences both beautiful and horrifying. It is a tale as old as time rewritten for a modern audience, one that will be familiar with the MeToo movement and all it entails, one that does not take the behaviour of some of civilisation’s oldest gods for granted any longer. At every step of the journey the audience are encouraged to consider what is at stake here and the impact of the choices made – the most disturbing elements being realised in clever, sensitive and thought-provoking ways. Believe me when I say that the sound design during the climactic scenes deserve high praise.

The play opens with a classic Greek prologue or parodos, narrated by self appointed storyteller Hermes, that efficiently sets up the action and introduces our fairy-tale princess protagonist. This is no fairy tale, however, or at least not in the modern sense of the word and Bethan Draycott confidently handles this arc. Her performance moving powerfully from strength to strength, is complimented by Peter Todd’s deep and emotional Hades. While Persephone is a cottagecore dream, Hades’ tattoos were a clever use of stereotype to both establish the character and invoke an inversion of expectations. I would go on, but I fear would give too much away. Suffice to say that the play is about young love and power plays; how even innocent things can be manipulated and corrupted by experienced hands.

Enter Zeus: the fullest drawn of the supporting characters, who somehow strikes the balance between dangerous and not wholly unlikeable. Arguably one of the most famous of the gods within the world’s collective mythology, the character could be a hard one to navigate yet both playwright and actor step up to the challenge – the role being both excellently explored and played. Aphrodite was likewise perfectly cast for such a confident and moving role. The character was central to one of the only major changes to take place between the original and tour performance – a change that brought with it a stronger scene. I have no intentions of analysing every character; however, a passing mention must be given to the newest cast members who have risen to the challenge. For audiences who are unfamiliar with the play, it must be impossible to separate those reprising familiar roles and those who bring a flair of their own originality. Both Hera and Demeter have taken the roles in their strides, harnessing their unique forms of feminine power.

It is easy to gush about a performance when it is fresh in your memory, the little details and the lyrics of the songs still swimming around your head. There were moments that could have been improved; lines that perhaps didn’t quite work, or fell flat in the actors’ mouths, keys that should have been adjusted to better suit the actors’ vocal ranges, a line slip up or a set piece not quite behaving as it should… But these were passing moments of little consequence when watching the overall effect. Everyone is a critic, but we don’t attend the theatre to criticise – we go to get lost in another narrative for a few hours, to have the opportunity to step outside of ourselves and witness someone else’s life. The immersive experience is an artform, a little bit of magic amongst the mundane, a chance for a playwright to spread a message… All of these things were accomplished with this play.

One of the beauties of a live performance is the promise that no matter what happens, you are witnessing something one of a kind. Next time something will be different.. Yet, isn’t that what makes something real and magical? Theatre is not film; there is no going back. This transient art form adds a tint of sadness to the enjoyment, as the end is in sight. With just a few nights remaining, I wholeheartedly recommend booking tickets if you are in (or able to get to) London this weekend. For, once the final curtain falls, this family of cast and crew will go their separate ways, packing up their memories, and just like Persephone, ‘I keep thinking about tomorrow.’ What will come next for the cast and crew of this performance? I look forward to seeing what they progress to.

After months of hype, there is always the fear that a play is better in imagination than in reality. Yet, Persephone followed her feet confidently from the memoryscape of this reviewer’s mind into a reality that is both as powerfully thought provoking and as addictive as the original.

Persephone is currently being performed at The Courtyard Theatre, London

18 August (7 pm), 19 August (7 pm), 20 August (2.30 pm & 7 pm), 21 August (2.30 pm)

Cover image by Paul Ashley