Metamorphoses
★★★★☆ Sweeping
Bedlam Theatre: Wed 25 – Sat 28 Feb 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Metamorphoses from the EUTC at the Bedlam is a journey through classical myth that is unfocused and wilfully uneven, but is frequently compelling, has energy to spare, and boasts some remarkably fine performances.
This adaptation is by Benjamin Freckelton, James Harvey, Rose Sarafilovic, Robbie Morris, Salvador Kent, and Freya McCall. It features many of the best known events from Ovid’s 2000-year-old epic poem about the history of the world – Orpheus and Eurydice, King Midas, Narcissus and Echo – alongside some less well known stories.
A scene from the EUTC’s Metamorphosis. Pic Emily Sharp.
This, together with the large number of credited writers, necessarily gives it something of an episodic structure, with a (not entirely successful) framing device largely abandoned in the second half. None of this helps the play to cohere, which is made worse by the tone of the language swinging wildly from portentous faux-archaisms to earthy modernity, often within the same speech.
This means that the epic grandeur you might expect is largely missing; neither (despite the modern trappings) is it really an updated version. It cries out for a better shape; it is far from clear why each act should end where it does, and the second half, being slightly longer than the first, does drag.
energy
The individual episodes, however, are impressive, even if a couple of them could comfortably have been lost. There is a great deal of energy, with director Freckelton using the unusual acting space cleverly and with clarity.
The performances are also extremely impressive. There are odd moments when they are too quiet (something not helped by the layout) but there is a great deal of commitment and talent on show.
A scene from the EUTC’s Metamorphosis. Pic Emily Sharp.
Narrator Noor Bashir is calmly authoritative, helping to disguise the fact that a great deal of the narration is exposition of the ‘tell not show’ type and somewhat undramatic.
Jude Rogers displays genuine comedy gifts as Bacchus, which provides an effective contrast to the forbiddingly glacial Minerva of Jess Kaijaks. Ben Fisher Russell’s Jupiter has a stately presence, while Lily Dickie is a persuasive Juno.
There is a touching element to Noah Geller and Seth Cullerne Bown’s Narcissus and Echo, with even more emotion displayed cogently by Orla Kinniburgh and Hattie Foden-Ellis as Orpheus and Eurydice.
a simply tremendous piece of acting
Many of the cast play more than one role, with the other actors (Az Palta, Oliver Mason, Ava Godfrey, Rishi Bhadwaj, Mollie Macfadyen and Gabriella Murphy) all providing effective performances. Special mention must go to Liv de Pury, whose wordless Hades is an object lesson in how to do everything while seemingly doing very little, and is a simply tremendous piece of acting.
A scene from the EUTC’s Metamorphosis. Pic Emily Sharp.
The onstage violence is frighteningly realistic, enhanced by Kiran Mukherjee’s lighting design. The change to the theatre layout (with a raised floor and thrust stage) is handled imaginatively. The most obvious design feature, a pool of water in the middle of the stage, could just be a gimmick but is integrated fully into the production.
Despite the caveats about the adaptation, this is exactly the sort of thing that EUTC should be doing – taking classic texts and making them modern. If it isn’t a complete success, it’s a very good stab at it.
Running time: Two hours 40 minutes including one interval
Bedlam Theatre, 11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ
Wednesday 25 – Saturday 28 February 2026
Daily at 7.30 pm; Matinee Sat 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
A scene from the EUTC’s Metamorphosis. Pic Emily Sharp.
ENDS
