Tapestry Opera’s M’dea Becomes Stripped and Undone

M’dea Undone is a stripped down, less gory version of the ancient greek mythos performed at Evergreen Brickworks, a trendy environmentally friendly establishment located in the heart of the lush Don River Valley. In keeping with the Brickworks directive, M’dea Undone was produced in an entirely recycled/reusable fashion while minimizing set materials. The ancient Greek version sees Medea help Jason retrieve the ‘Golden Fleece’ so that he may claim his inheritance and they can marry. She then chops up her brother, revengefully kills Jason’s new wife, Princess Glauce and kills her own children. This play is said to have explored the disadvantages of being a woman in a patriarchal society as Medea’s love was used as a pawn in Jason’s quest for power. In the modernized version M’dea is from the Middle East where she betrays her village by helping her lover, Jason, conquer it as his interpreter. When they move to America Jason leaves her for a more powerful woman, the president’s daughter, Dahlia. M’dea seeks her revenge by murdering his ‘new love’ drawing parallels with the original play in terms of exploring the disadvantages of being poor in a capitalist society. In both scenarios Jason’s quest for power by using others in lower positions backfires on him, especially since he was the one who taught modern M’dea how to kill during their wartime together.

Jason de Souza conducts great music with an ominous undertone, foreshadowing the morbid events to come. Lauren Segal’s, M’dea, has the strongest performance of the production in comparison with Peter Barrett’s uninspiring Jason. M’dea can be seen flipping over furniture in a fit of rage before having a passionate showdown with Dahlia (Jacqueline Woodley). Dahlia is delightfully easy to hate on as she comes across as an arrogant and affluent socialite, making you sympathize with M’dea almost up to the end. Overall M’dea Undone is great production with the women stealing the show.

                  M’dea Undone is playing at Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave until May 29th.