Today, I went to Richmond to see “Medea.” I thoroughly enjoyed watching the play since it’s been a while for me to see a play with deaf actors. The interesting thing about the play was that there were several levels of communication between Medea and other characters. For example, her husband, Jason, did it in sim-com. Her father used an interpreter and signed some words that he knew. The king, of course, used an interpreter. Other than that, deafness was not an issue. The issue that Medea made was that women were being oppressed in Greece, as it was originally written. I like the fact deafness was not an issue; it’s a part of the character’s life.
Mary Vreeland, a student at VCU for MFA, did an excellent job portraying Medea. The cast also really showed that they took the time to study ASL along with the play. Not all cast members signed; only a select few signed.
Costumes on the other hand were not clear in sense of purpose. Some clothes were modern. Medea’s costume looked like it was from medieval times. The guards had machine guns. What is the point of the discrepancy in the time periods? Is the artistic director trying to tell us that the play is timeless? I don’t know.
On a different issue, some of the signing was to the back rather than to the audience, which made it hard for me to see some of what is being said. At the end, Medea was above the audience and I was seated next to the scaffolding. That made it difficult for me to look up and watch. So my kind friend interpreted what Medea said to her husband Jason.
Overall, it was a good play and was a great outing for me. It was cool to meet and eat with the “star” along with other deaf attendees. It was a blast.
