When the piece premiered at the Almeida Theatre in London (directed by Rupert Goold), the reviews were polarized. The Guardian called it "a brilliant, cold slice of fury." The Telegraph gave it three stars, noting that "Cusk’s intellectual coolness drains the myth of its necessary heat."
Medea is a legendary character in Greek mythology, known for her role in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. She was a powerful sorceress, the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, and a granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea helped Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, obtain the Golden Fleece by assisting him in completing the tasks set by her father. In return, she received a promise of marriage from Jason. However, Jason eventually abandoned Medea for another woman, Glauce, the daughter of King Creon of Corinth. medea+rachel+cusk+pdf+new
In most productions, we see Medea’s children playing innocently in the courtyard—a classic irony device. Cusk removes them almost entirely from the physical stage. They exist only as voices, as memories, as a "before and after" photograph. This forces the audience to confront something horrifying: Medea’s motherhood is an idea, not a performance. This was a "new" psychological approach that broke from the naturalistic tradition. When the piece premiered at the Almeida Theatre
Analysis of how this fits into Cusk’s broader . Medea helped Jason, the leader of the Argonauts,
However, here is how to access the work: