 Phaedra
Performed November 27, 1998 - January 14, 1999
in repertory with The Merchant
of Venice at the Loeb Drama Center
[poster_available]
[Cast]
[Synopsis]
[Links/Articles]
by Jean Racine
translated/adapted by Paul Schmidt
directed by Liz Diamond
set design by Riccardo Hernandez
costume design by Catherine Zuber
lighting design by Michael Chybowski
sound design by Christopher Walker
stage manager Anne S. King
Racine's doomed heroine - the legendary Queen of Athens -
faces an impossible dilemma: yield to forbidden lust for a
boy half her age, or preserve her honor and drown in
overwhelming, unfulfilled passion. Neither entirely guilty
nor absolutely innocent, Phaedra is trapped in a labyrinth
of betrayal and desire that confounds easy moral judgment.
Running time is estimated at 90 minutes
with no intermission.
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Cast
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Theseus, son of Aegeas and king of Athens
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... Jonathan Epstein
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Phaedra, wife of Theseus, daughter of
Minos and Pasiphaë
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... Randy Danson
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Hippolytus, son of Theseus and Antiope,
queen of the Amazons
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... Benjamin Evett
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Aricia, princess of the royal blood of
Athens
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... Caroline Hall
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Enone, nurse of Phaedra
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... Karen MacDonald
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Theramenes, tutor of Hippolytus
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... Stephen Rowe
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Ismene, friend of Aricia
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... Kelly Mizell
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Panope, waiting-woman of Phaedra
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... Emily Vail
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Synopsis
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Driven into deep despair, Phaedra confesses to
her nurse Enone that she is in love with her
stepson, Hippolytus. Word arrives that her
long-absent husband, Theseus, king of Athens, has
died, and Phaedra reveals her love to Hippolytus.
Horrified by her admission, Hippolytus spurns
Phaedra. Theseus unexpectedly returns. Fearing
Hippolytus will seek retribution against her
mistress, Enone secures permission from Phaedra to
accuse Hippolytus of raping his stepmother. When
confronted by his father Hippolytus denies the
charges, but he reveals his own transgression in
the form of his love for the captive princess,
Aricia. Theseus banishes Hippolytus and calls on
Neptune to punish his son. Phaedra wants clear
Hippolytus's name, but she is sent into a jealous
frenzy when she hears that he loves Aricia. After
Hippolytus dies in a confrontation with a sea
monster sent by Neptune, Phaedra poisons herself.
Before dying she confesses her guilt to Theseus.
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Related Links and Articles
- Introductory article on playwright Jean
Racine
- Interview with translator Paul
Schmidt
- Interview with director Liz
Diamond
- Boston
Phoenix article
- Boston
Phoenix review
- Use the Perseus Project
at Tufts to brush up on the literary and mythological background to
the play, including:
- Hippolytus, the play by Euripides that was
Racine's primary source
- Phaedra as she appeared in ancient texts
- Hippolytus, her stepson
- Theseus, her husband
- Ariadne, her sister, who had helped Theseus defeat the
Minotaur, only to be abandoned by him after their escape from
Crete
- Minotaur, the monstrous, half-bull, half human who was
also the half-brother of Phaedra and Ariadne
- Labyrinth, the infamous lair of the Minotaur on Crete
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