The Scoop's annual dose of free theatre has become a summer staple. This year's offering begins with an hour-long musical comedy, Prince of Thebes, which is intended to afford children a pacy introduction to Greek myth. It's followed by brisk interpretations of the tragedies of Oedipus and Antigone, written for an adult audience by Lisa Kuma (apparently the pseudonym of a well-known playwright).
Phil Willmott directs all three pieces and makes confident use of The Scoop's ample space as he marshals an enthusiastic and mainly youthful cast. For the children’s show, the tone is close to pantomime. Squabbles mingle with knowingly clunky jokes and some fizzily performed songs - including a vigorous but not exactly of-the-moment take on Gangnam Style. There’s a talking bear played with gusto by Joseph Wicks, and Charlotte Whitaker is a bubbly Pandora.
The second and third plays, each also around the hour mark, are suffused with doom and seriousness, accentuated by Theo Holloway’s brooding music. Oedipus and Jocasta (who's both his wife and his mother) are portrayed with passionate intensity by Philip Scott-Wallace and Samantha Lawson.
By the time we get to Antigone night is falling and the atmosphere is almost funereal. As the arena darkens, Lucy Cudden brings an appealing vulnerability to the title role. There are a couple of misguided moments of comedy, and some of the speeches feel in need of a trim. Yet the approach is undeniably fresh, and whether or not you choose to settle in for a whole evening of theatre it's worth dropping by this most democratic of venues.
Until September 1 (morelondon.com/scoop)
