After Ophelia, Electra becomes the second creation in Cake’s series of classical re-imaginings where tragic figures are given a striking awakening on Cake’s contemporary stage.
Electra is an immense character borne of tradition and myth, the lady of perpetual lamentation, the embodiment of personal and public grief. This mother of a tragedy centers on Electra, a daughter who ceaselessly and undividedly grieves for her slaughtered father. The perpetrators of the murder are Electra’s own mother and her mother’s new lover, her father’s once fierce political rival. Electra commits herself to a life of endless mourning and lamentation that manifests itself in damning words that lend her voice potency. She sticks to her stubborn grief in spite of the admonishment and incarceration that comes her way. She forfeits her freedom by refusing to be silenced so that none can forget the injustice done, and singlehandedly secures a cloud of suspicion over the all-powerful corrupt duo that now rule her father’s city. Electra is an archaic tale with present day resonance.
In Cake’s signature wild theatrical abandon, this Electra receives a fresh, spirited re-make. Edith Podesta takes on the full-blooded title role with an ensemble playing multiple parts on a set that turns the condemned House of Atreus into a minimalist block of climbing grids to produce a kinetic, effervescent playing arena while the flames of fiery grief burn.
