(Editor’s note: The Getty Villa offered free tickets to Palisades residents who had been impacted by the fires to its annual Villa Outdoor Classical Theater production. Tahitian Terrace resident Krishna Thangavelu went and came back with this report about “Oedipus The King MAMA!” )
By KRISHNA THANGAVELU
Thank you so much for posting the invite to see Oedipus the King, MAMA! at the Getty Villa. I took a friend and set off on an excursion to the finer side of life.
The Getty Villa and I enjoyed much the same view, a mere mile or two apart. It was bittersweet to see sunset on my ocean again. My view was less obstructed and frankly sweeter, but the Getty Villa clearly was and remains the superior house. Billions and what not.
My view of the ocean also came with more comfortable seating. It’s not a bug, but a feature of the Getty Villa is that it is both beautiful and uncomfortable. A design feature that beautiful women, myself, God, Nature, and the Universe employ so that riff raff do not linger too long on hallowed grounds. Admire and keep it moving … it’s a temple for beauty not a lounge for the undeserving.
I won’t tell you and your kind readers anything at all about the play itself other than it was absolutely fabulous. The Troubadours, affectionately known as the Troubies have been at their craft for some three decades now and must NOT be missed as they reprise one of their classic takes on classic tragedy. All tragedies, including our own, should be set to the music of Elvis.
Seriously… what sick mind came up with the original plot? It is beyond redemption and yet it lingers in the literary canon like an unpleasant rash one cannot be rid off. Terrible plot… entirely without merit BUT like a lot of things of poor taste… has lingered through the centuries. Median human taste is quite awful and we have been and prolly remain a barbaric species. So there you go.
What the Troubies do with said awful plot and their handling of the elegant and cultured audience at the Getty Villa is beyond thrilling and delightful. Evil and fun in the best sense. Manipulative as all good theater should be… taking us out of our meaningless misery and tying us into knots than span the centuries. Terrible tragedy (aka pathos) is dealt with firmly by ruthless absurdity (or bathos). The skill of the actors is blindingly (no pun intended) delightful. They are just so good! One is reminded that Los Angeles is home to the world’s best talent in performance and script writing. Far better than that Greek trash.
Even us sorry types that have been exiled from daily views of a view better than the Getty Villa must give these delightful performers a standing ovation. Because all tragedy falls in reverence at the feet of sublime excellence. Everyone rose at the end of the performance and gave the shy Troubies a thunderous applause.
No plot spoilers… just a wink and a nod testimonial that you must spend some coin and you will enjoy the brooding Getty Villa and a good show.
The evening may even help what ails ya. And give you some perspective into that awful chasm of the drama of life. All unpleasant but whatever. You may even get to wander through the museum and look at what remained under the ashes of Pompeii much like we ourselves went digging through the ashes of our own burned mosaics and pots and pans. And came back to tell an absurd tale.
Tragedy and ashes like Pompeii:
Redemption and Rebirth:
Krishna Thangavelu at the Getty Villa at Sunset.