The Intrepidus Theatre Lab production of Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘The Flies’ opens Feb. 10.
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Sartre play a cry for Resistance
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Veteran actor Kevin Costley, left, portrays Demitrios, and Intrepedius Theatre Lab newcomer Matthew Escott is Orestes in Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘The Flies.’
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Will Orestes (Matthew Escott) and Electra (Natasha Bogutzki) seek vengeance for their father’s death?
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Matthew Escott, left, stars as Orestes, along with Natasha Bogutzki, right, as his sister, Electra, and Theresa Jimenez, center, as their mother, Clytemnestra, when ‘The Flies’ opens at Intrepidus Theatre Lab on Feb. 10.
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If you’re surprised to see characters with names like Clytemnestra, Orestes and Electra wearing the suspenders, pants and flowing dresses of the World War II era rather than the tunics of ancient Greece, don’t be.
Playwright Jean-Paul Sartre borrowed Greek mythological figures and wrote “The Flies” in 1943, during the Nazi occupation of Paris.
And director Justin Costello wants the costuming and staging to reflect that uneasy time when Intrepidus Theatre Lab presents “The Flies” for four performances Feb. 10 through Feb. 13 at 107 N. Keyser Ave. in Old Forge.
“A lot of things I direct have some basis in religion, mythology and politics,” he said in a telephone interview. “We can learn a lot from them.”
While Sarte crafted “The Flies” as a cry for Resistance against the occupying forces, he also built it around the story of a dysfunctional family.
Dad Agamemnon returned from the Trojan War and was promptly killed by his unfaithful wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisteus.
Fifteen years later, Aegisteus is ruling Argo in Agamemnon’s place, with Clytemnestra at his side.
Resentful daughter Electra is treated like a slave and dreams of revenge. When her brother Orestes returns home — to a city oppressed by heat and flies — the siblings’ have a chance to avenge their father.
Meanwhile Zeus, the king of the gods, is visiting Argo, pretending to be an ordinary human named Demitrios. He would prefer that Orestes and Electra not avenge their father, because he likes the way Aegisteus, Clytemnestra and the rank and file townsfolk never stop repenting the way Agamemnon’s died.
Part of their repentance involves a Dead Man’s Day ritual in which “they have to make sure there’s room at the table for them (the dead.) They have to make sure there’s room in their bedrooms.”
On the 15th anniversary of Agamemnon’s murder, Costello said, “Here comes Orestes, who’s removed from that. He was sent away as a kid, to die, but he was brought up in Athens. His tutor, now his slave, tells him ‘You’re not really from here.’
Then Orestes encounters his sister, Electra, and sees that “she has become a slave. Her mother, Clytemnestra, has allowed her to be brought down so low, doing everything Aegisteus says. Clytemnestra lets Aegisteus abuse her and treat her horribly.”
Will Orestes kill Aegisteus? Will he kill Clytemnestra? Will Electra help?
If you come to the show, you’ll find out.
And if you’re a student of World War II, you might enjoy figuring out who stands for what.
“Specific characters represent different entities (from 1943),” Costello said. “If you know Greeks, they were all about religion. Zeus kind of stands for the over-arching Third Reich. He’s very much a trickster in the play. Beneath him you have the king, who would be like the Vichy government and the SS and Nazi party.
As for the townspeople, “referencing the murder of Agemmenon after the War of Troy, everyone stayed silent. One person could have said one word; but they didn’t. He was butchered in his bathtub. It was horrific,” the director said, explaining that silence in the play can be compared to the aquiesance of people who lived near Nazi death camps during World War II and claimed not to know what was going on.
“ ‘The Flies’ deals with the ideas of personal autonomy and freedom,” Costello said. “Do you (follow that) or do you follow along with the masses?”
“I hope audiences come away thinking about the choices they make in their lives,” the director said. “Do they choose things for themselves, or do they base it on what other people want them to do?”
“It’s very difficult to be your own person today, especially if you have a minority opinion,” he continued. “It’s been something very interesting for me to explore, and for the cast to explore.”
Intrepidus Theatre Lab’s performances of “The Flies” will take place Feb. 10 through Feb. 13 with shows at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 cash at the door. Reservations are required, either by calling 570-472-7218, emailing Intrepidusthetrelab@gmail.com or visiting the theatre lab’s Facebook page.
Please note, the production includes smoking, fog effects, strobe lighting and mature subject matter.