The Oresteia begins with a 360-degree revolution of its stage—a two-story glass-walled house— and the slow reveal of its inhabitants. It is an arresting sight which instantly fixes the audience to their seats. Over the course of three and a half hours, writer and director Simon Stone brings Aeschylus’ eponymous trilogy to the modern day with a script that is intense and astonishingly funny. Coupled with an award-worthy ensemble performance, The Oresteia more than matches the scale of its ambition.
The play centres on a wealthy British family— the Middeltons, standing in for the House of Atreus— and follows their violent unravelling across one decade. While the idea of adapting a story about double matricide to 21st century norms seems absurd, Stone succeeds in the endeavour with marvellous fidelity. Orestes’ slow descent to madness, Clytemnestra’s grief, and Iphigenia’s loss are all expertly conveyed through inventive analogies that signal Stone’s deep understanding of the original. Stone does deviate from the source-material; he frames Iphigenia’s death as suicide rather than paternal sacrifice and entirely omits the chorus and the role of Greek gods such as Apollo. However, these decisions strip away distractions to enhance the play’s central moral dilemmas and, in doing so, showcase the continuing value of modern adaptations.
Stone’s true genius manifests in the play’s humour. Whether it is Monty’s (the matriarch, played by a fearless Mary-Louise Parker) sarcastic one-liners hurled at Chandra (Rakhee Thakrar), her ex-husband’s new girlfriend, or Alice’s (a perfect Rosie Sheehy as the daughter) self-deprecating ramblings which give new meaning to the phrase ‘too much information’, The Oresteia regularly leaves the audience in stitches. This is rare for any play but especially so for a classic text and marks Stone as a writer who truly has his finger on the pulse.
Where the script does let itself down is in its third act and epilogue, which err on the side of over-explanation and drag the audience through flashbacks that unnecessarily extend an otherwise well-paced play. Although the impulse to bring each storyline to its conclusion and give each actor their big monologue moment is understandable, the scenes almost work to undermine the cast’s performances in the preceding two acts, which are so emphatic that they manage to convey all there is to know without the need for depiction.
The main cast, which comprises the aforementioned Parker and Sheehy alongside David Morrissey as Christopher, the patriarch, and Tom Glynn-Carney as Augustus (standing in for Orestes), deserve particular mention. Each of the actors delivers a career-best performance and the stage crackles with energy every time they spar— casting director Jessica Ronane CDG deserves all the praise for her selection.
Another standout is the set design. All kudos must go to Lizzie Clachan and her team for creating the life-sized home which quite literally boxes the Middeltons in. The physical layer between the actors and the audience enhances the voyeuristic nature of our intrusion as we watch the characters’ secrets and malevolent thoughts laid bare. While not novel— the Lehman Trilogy made use of a similar revolving glass-walled stage— the moving set enables the action to progress at a non-stop pace, which is essential for a play of this length.
Simon Stone’s adaptation reminds us that beneath the corporate veil and social niceties, we are just one fracture away from the erstwhile violence of the ancient world. In a summer of Greek adaptations, The Oresteia is not to be missed.
The Oresteia is showing at the Bridge Theatre until 19th September 2026 and tickets can be found at https://www.bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-oresteia/
Reviewer: Saloni Sanwalka
Reviewed: 14th July 2026
North West End UK Rating: