Oedipus El Rey
by Luis Alfaro

Off-Broadway

Oedipus El Rey Book Cover — Oedipus El Rey Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

105 mins Present Day Role(s) for Latine Actor(s) Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award Drama League Award

Winner! 2018 Drama Desk Special Award Nominee: Two 2018 Drama League Awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play

Synopsis

As he approaches the end of a lengthy prison sentence, Oedipus is ready to taste his long-awaited freedom.

But liberation comes at a price, and life on the outside proves its own kind of prison, one ruled by a cruel and violent fate.

Based on Sophocles’ classic tale, Oedipus El Rey is an urgent examination of modern institutions, social barriers and the power of storytelling for those bold enough to challenge the gods of our time.

Press Reviews

"What Sophocles left offstage – the violence, the sex – Oedipus El Rey confidently stages…This gives [the play] swagger, oomph and economy, but it also makes for a salacious watch… a grim and dynamic reminder that stories matter, old ones and new ones, true ones and fake ones.” – The New York Times“An adaptation that feels both urgently relevant and timeless…Alfaro illuminates the ancient themes of the Oedipus story in thrillingly modern ways, giving us a new appreciation for the myth.” – TheaterMania“Oedipus El Rey dazzles…[it] strikes to the bone of one of our more disturbing ancient legends and gives it new, breathtakingly vital life."
— San Jose Mercury News

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Laius / Coro #4 / El Huesero or Old King, Chorus #4, Bone Healer	male	—	or Old King, Chorus #4, Bone Healer
Jocasta or Queen	female	—	or Queen
Creon / Coro #3 / Tecolote #3 / Esfinge #3 or Queen’s Brother, Chorus #3, Owl Oracle #3, Sphinx #3	female	—	or Queen’s Brother, Chorus #3, Owl Oracle #3, Sphinx #3
Tiresias / Coro #5 or Blind Servant, Chorus #5	—	—	or Blind Servant, Chorus #5
Coro #1 / El Sobador / Tecolote #1 / El Místico / Esfinge #1 or Chorus #1, Healer, Owl Oracle #1, Mystic, Sphinx #1	—	—	or Chorus #1, Healer, Owl Oracle #1, Mystic, Sphinx #1
Coro #2 / Tecolote #2 / El Curandero / Esfinge #2 or Chorus #2, Owl Oracle #2, Shaman, Sphinx #2	—	—	or Chorus #2, Owl Oracle #2, Shaman, Sphinx #2
Oedipus / Coro #6 or Young King/Chorus #6	male	—	or Young King/Chorus #6