Theatre News Wire

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company opens its 15th year with Gordon Edelstein's adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's classic American tragedy Mourning Becomes Electra, based on the Oresteia. The production marks Timothy Douglas' directorial debut as Remy Bumppo's new artistic director. Mourning Becomes Electra runs Sept. 21 through Oct. 30 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. This production kicks off Remy Bumppo's season, The American Evolution, thematically exploring transformational experiences in U.S. history. Single tickets are on sale now at www.remybumppo.org or by calling the box office at 773-404-7336.

"If I could only have stayed as I was then. Why can't all of us remain innocent and loving and trusting? But God won't leave us alone. He twists and wrings and tortures our lives with others' lives until--we poison each other to death." -Mourning Becomes Electra.

Desperate to free herself from her marriage and the clutches of the Mannon family curse, Christine takes a lover and murders her husband. Deeply wounded by her mother's betrayal, young Lavinia crusades to reveal the truth and reclaim the family honor. She discovers her strength in a quest for redemption, striving for the unlikely place at the head of her family. This streamlined revision of O'Neill's epic, which begins at the end of the Civil War, hurtles us through the Mannons' cycle of murder, vengeance, and reinvention.

Director Douglas explains the choice to present Gordon Edelstein's version of the play: "O'Neill's New England-set drama is structured after Aeschylus' Oresteia. Edelstein's adaptation of the play intensifies O'Neill's plot points and relationships by removing peripheral characters that fill the role of the Greek chorus by commenting on the turn of events. While Fate's influence remains a compelling force in the play, the streamlining of O'Neill's opus places its moral and psychic consequences directly into the hands of the protagonists. Furthermore, this distillation drives the pace of storytelling and reduces the length of the play to three hours."

The cast features Artistic Associates Annabel Armour (as Christine Mannon), David Darlow (as Ezra Mannon) and Nick Sandys (as Captain Adam Brant) along with guest artists Kelsey Brennan (as Lavinia Mannon) and Scott Stangland as (Orin Mannon). Rounding out the cast are Stephanie Chavera, Luke Daigle and Veronda G. Carey.

Mourning Becomes Electra is directed by Remy Bumppo Artistic Director Timothy Douglas with scenic design by Tim Morrison, lighting by Steve Sorenson, costumes by Samantha C. Jones, sound design by Victoria DeIorio and properties by Sally Weiss. Stage Management is provided by Amy Bertacini.