As the lights come up, a group of characters stand strung out across the stage reading newspapers with their backs to the audience. A burst of wind blows the papers away, and the play begins.
But can this be Greek tragedy? There’s not a single death or disaster, it has a happy ending, and all the characters get what they most desire. Part of the answer lies with Euripides’ innate rebelliousness; he loved to break established rules, and since he invented this story instead of adapting a traditional myth, he could do exactly what he wanted.
But this production owes its upbeat flavor to the collaboration between Alexandra Harbold’s imaginative direction and David Lan’s clever, colloquial translation.