The New York Premiere

The Greek tragedy gets an LA makeover in this ambitious new staging by Luis Alfaro that takes place in South Central. First premiering at San Diego Repertory Theater in 2015, the MacArthur Genius Grant winning author has cunningly updated Sophocles' tale of patricide and incest to the barrios of SoCal, where the chorus is a heavily tattooed prison gang and the oracle is an unscrupulous life coach who charges cash. This New York premiere will be directed by Chay Yew at the Shiva Theater.

What is it about?

The ancient meets the modern in this new version of the classical myth; Oedipus is imprisoned for robbing Costco; Jocasta is a rich housewife who drowns herself in perfume while glued to daily soaps, and the Oracle offers life coaching in exchange for cash. With the illicit and passionate affair between Jocasta and Oedipus forming the central focus of this electrifying and erotic drama. Can the lost hero find his true path before running into disaster? Or is Sophocles' curse set to repeat itself two and a half millenia later?