Medea

The contrast is shocking and funny. This Medea is too big for a place like this, her passions too intense, her intelligence too vicious, and in Bartlett's own production, there are an unexpected number of laughs. . . As writer, Bartlett doesn't just transfer Euripides to the modern world - he exposes him to the full weight of post-Freudian psychology. * Guardian *
Rage and fear seep through Mike Bartlett's domesticated updating of Euripides, clashing brashly and inviting its protagonists to step outside. They simmer behind the closed doors of the red brick estate where Rachael Stirling's fine, visceral Medea has been left with their son, Tom, when Adam Levy's cocky, human Jason runs off with the landlord's young daughter, Kate. * The Stage *
Bartlett does more than simply find modern equivalents for classical originals. This Medea is not a barbarian at sea in cultured Corinth, nor has she slain a dragon or sacrificed her family to be there. She is an outsider in other ways ... Bartlett keeps matters tantalisingly balanced ... compelling stuff. -- Robert Dawson Scott * The Times *
Bartlett ... has reimagined Euripides' great tragedy in a 21st century where a wedding guest films the death agony of a young bride on her iPhone ... the familiarity of both the setting and the circumstances ... make the horror so much harder to bear. -- Anna Burnside * Independent *