4 STARS
After enjoying success at the Brighton Fringe Festival, winning the outstanding theatre award, The Conor Baum Company’s production of Electra came to the Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) for two final shows. A translation of Sophocles’ famed Greek tragedy, Conor Baum’s vision for Electra is perfect for the nature-controlled setting of BOAT, with the evening breeze and the slight rainfall as the play concluded being a fantastic compliment to the fatal finale being acted out on stage.
The stage direction also used the theatre to its advantage, with actors right from the start entering the stage from the top of the amphitheatre, expanding the stage and theatrical experience, making each character’s approach to the palace feel brilliantly realistic. This isn’t the only great use of space seen in Baum’s production, with the actors managing to use the whole stage despite the small cast and directing their performances to all three sides of the audience. This is especially evident during long monologues from Electra (Lexi Pickett), where they make eye contact with the closest audience members, making them feel comfortable before making them uneasy with their characters’ building insanity. Pickett captures the emotion of Electra as a character perfectly, with their Phoebe Waller-Bridge-esque enunciation bringing each word to life. The scenes between Electra and Orestes (Ethan Mchale) are also brilliant, with both actors reacting to the other as if they truly are two siblings who have been long separated and torn apart.
Photo: Brighton Source
Additionally, the aesthetic qualities of the production also shone, with the costumes not reflecting Ancient Greece, but instead looking straight out of the early twentieth century. The clear class divide between the different costumes helps to clearly portray the authority of Clytemnestra (Christine Kempell), and how Electra has been repressed and pushed down by her authoritarian mother. The costumes also make the two choral characters feel as if they have been put in their place, dressed like maids, portraying them as the servant class. The aesthetic of the production is also assisted through the use of a smoke machine throughout, creating a precarious ambience. Combined with pensive and tense music, this ambience creates an atmosphere that has the audience ill at ease, from beginning to end, with the music and smoke machine in action before the performance got underway.
On a final note, the work of the staff and crew at the Brighton Open Air Theatre cannot go unappreciated, with their army of brilliant volunteers helping productions like this take place. The friendliness with which they greet you and the willingness to assist with any question you have is fantastic. So thank you to everyone at BOAT for letting productions like this one shine and continue to bolster the magnificent local theatre available here in Brighton and Sussex.
Another article you might enjoy: https://thebadgeronline.com/2025/08/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning/
