An eerie music loiters across the black silence, portending unnatural acts and tantalizing first-time viewers of the "Medea." Raising questions about revenge, the nature of justice and natural laws, Medea rocks Greek culture. She brings out Greek arrogance against foreigners and questions the very foundations of their culture.

The Saint Mary's Department of Communication Studies, Dance and Theatre presents Euripides' chilling tragedy, "Medea," adapted by Robinson Jeffers, this weekend in the O'Laughlin Auditorium. An introduction to Greek culture precedes the play, beginning about half an hour prior to the main performance.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the "Medea", it makes "Oedipus the King" look like a bedtime story and puts the rage of Achilles to shame. Medea is a fierce Asian princess, who married the Greek hero, Jason the Argonaut. For love of Jason, she murdered both her father and her brother. As the play opens, she wails inside the house because her beloved husband dropped her for a new princess, younger model and more cash. When we see her for the first time, her eyelids droop as if in a trance and pain seems to wash over her body like the lapping tide, licking her wounds in repeated rhythm. There is witchcraft, violent murders and cruel cackling from Medea. But you'll have to show up at Saint Mary's this weekend to see the rest.

Going to see Merideth Pierce, a senior theatre major, rage about the intimate stage setting, in truly tormented Medea-fashion, is worth the trip alone. Before she ever appears onstage, the agony in her unseen cries pierces the nervous opening speech of her faithful old servant, played by sophomore, Betsy Brown.

Merideth admitted that she was "scared to death" of Medea at first glance but has come to understand how a larger-than-life character, like Medea, could be perverted by this "downward spiral" to such extreme, unnatural acts. First-time Saint Mary's

Director Leigh Taylor also noticed Merideth's increased understanding of her role. Despite being originally concerned about how a 21-year-old girl was going to achieve the depth of a character like Medea without any life experience that could even come close to comparable, Taylor found herself well pleased with the results.

Because of all the conflicting issues in this work, Taylor hoped to leave the audience in "wonder" about "how far a person can be driven". Although Medea never seems quite human during the play, her supernatural qualities are reemphasized by the fact that she seems to be exempt from divine justice at the end of the play.

Because the play is acted and staged on the auditorium stage, this presentation of the "Medea" has an intimate feel. The scenery, created by Thomas Boelman, helped add to the conception of Medea's character as "larger than life." Large columns coiled with snakes, huge doors that always open of their own accord, tall black walls and raised golden images that one would imagine on Greek pottery, decorated Medea's house. The scenery was excellent because it provided the necessary setting, while not drawing the audience's attention away from the intense dialogue that demands their focus.

There are some great lines in this play, and this presentation definitely does it justice. Medea says, "Hate is a bottomless cup that I shall pour and pour…" If that's not enough incentive to go check it out, in the closing lines, Medea gives Jason a callous response when he asks her what he should do. She says, "Go out under the stars; it's not me they scorn."

"Medea" will be performed Friday March 28 at 8 p.m., Saturday March 29 at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. as well as on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the O'Laughlin Auditorium at Saint Mary's. Contact the box office at 284-4626 to purchase tickets or for further information.

Contact Kristin Cordova at kcordova@nd.edu

• Razzle dazzle`em
  
• Medea loosed at Saint Mary's