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This version of the Greek Myth, written for the stage by István Tasnádi is performed in German (with Hungarian subtitles) and Hungarian. If you don’t understand either language, I recommend drinking a double espresso before you go to keep you awake. Although sorely tempted to follow two others who walked out, I sat through the almost two hours, in spite of my drowsiness, because I wanted to see what they would do.

Putting aside my inability to really understand either language, I went because I was curious to see how Krétakör’s director Árpád Schilling would handle it. I had also heard Dorottya Udvaros, who plays Phaedra, is a diva of the Hungarian stage, so I wanted to see her in action - and she did not disappoint.

Bizarre images: a psychiatrist-like character who has a turntable and periodically scratches; an operetic-style chorus comprised of three women (who at one point arrive on stage in costumes direct from a ’60’s ‘happening’) accompanied by cellist; a Minotaur character wearing a full-face motorbike helmet, and incessantly playing Triple-pop (complete with the sound of the tell-tale beeps) on his Nokia telephone. (At one point Phaedra tries to get the phone from him so she can have a go, but the beastly Minotaur rapes her with his head instead!)

The sex is equally odd in its symbolism. Saurus < ?> has sex - in turn - with three boxes of geraniums, which had previously been watered by the three members of the chorus. The sex he has varies from box to box, until with the last he is spent and really quite useless. The three women then make a show of chopping off his penis. This same character later plays the role of fornicator when Paedra supposedly has sex with her step-son Hippolytus. During this scene, Saurus puts a condom on a microphone which he then uses in lieu of a penis, while Hippolytus places a video camera on his exposed penis which he then focuses on one of Phaedra’s eyes for the duration of the ‘rape’.

Circumstances change when Theseus (who is laid out dead on a trolly at the start of the show) comes back to life.

Odd indeed. I wish I understood the dialogue. The woman seated next to me (Hungarian) said: “It was interesting.”

The opening run at Trafo closed last evening and the show now goes to Germany. It returns to Trafo in November. Go here for performance details.