After the American Civil War, General Ezra Mannon returns to his
New England home. But the house of Mannon, with its dark history and
unhealthy psychology, hides many open wounds. The pathological love of
Ezra’s wife Christine for her son Orin, her difficult relationship with
her daughter Lavinia and the arrival of an outsider mean that there will
be no end to the cycle of hatred, revenge and destructive love that has
already blighted the family in the past – until everyone has been
brought to account.
Eugene O’Neill reworks the myth of Orestes
and updates it into a modern trilogy, revealing the corrosion of the
bourgeoisie hidden by a flawless facade. The edifice maintained by
Puritanism and a rigid moral attitude gradually crumbles and those
trapped inside are dragged down with it. The neurotic, desperate and
ultimately unvindicated heroes are condemned to oblivion and silence.
The expansive material of the trilogy has been adapted and condensed
into a single play by Yannis Houvardas, who, together with a cast of
major actors, brings one of the most important works of the twentieth
century to the Main Stage.
First performance: 06/11/2013
Last performance: 01/12/2013