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‘People say I’m pouring Coca-Cola into fine malt whisky’: why is the National Theatre shaking up Sophocles?
The National Theatre is staging Electra/Persona, a new production directed by Benedict Andrews that fuses Sophocles's ancient tragedy Electra with Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film Persona, starring Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss. The two works, written 23 centuries apart, are performed either side of the interval and linked by a striking theatrical transition, reflecting Andrews's long-standing fascination with why Bergman had his character break down while playing Electra. The pairing is a bold and unconventional artistic gamble, continuing Andrews's track record of radical reworkings of classic texts.
Blanchett and Hoss will alternate nightly between playing Electra/Clytemnestra in the first half and Elisabeth/Alma in the second, with whoever plays Electra reappearing as Elisabeth and Clytemnestra reappearing as Alma. Audiences will not know which actor is playing which role until the performance begins, and the box office will not disclose casting in advance. Andrews, known for reimagining works such as Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, describes the production not as a double-bill but as "one hinged work", requiring the cast to rehearse both plays intensively each day.
In short
- National Theatre merges Sophocles's Electra with Bergman's film Persona
- Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss alternate roles nightly, unannounced to audiences
- Director Benedict Andrews calls it "one hinged work", not a double-bill
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Pairing Electra with Persona could reveal how both works explore fractured identity, grief and the pressures placed on women, while the transition between them may make those connections theatrically vivid. Reworking a classic in this way can keep it alive for new audiences and invite fresh questions about Sophocles rather than treating the play as untouchable.
The case against
The fusion may overwhelm the distinct shape and language of Sophocles’s tragedy, making it feel like material for a contemporary concept rather than a work with its own artistic integrity. Keeping the casting secret and asking audiences to follow a linked production may also make the experience less accessible, especially for those who want to encounter Electra on its own terms.
Explained simply
The National Theatre is staging an unusual production that brings together two works created 23 centuries apart: Sophocles's ancient Greek tragedy Electra and Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film Persona. Directed by Benedict Andrews, the production performs the two works either side of an interval, with staging that links them and reflects a parallel Andrews has identified between them. Stars Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss will alternate nightly in roles across both performances, with audiences unaware of the casting until the show begins.
Benedict Andrews is a theatre director known for unconventional reworkings of classic texts, having previously staged productions of plays by Chekhov and Tennessee Williams. Andrews has long been fascinated by a moment in Bergman's film where a character breaks down whilst performing Electra, which has prompted him to explore what lies at the emotional heart of both works. Rather than presenting the pieces as a conventional double-bill, Andrews describes this as "one hinged work", inviting audiences to discover unexpected connections between an ancient drama about vengeance and a modernist film exploring communication and identity.
The production represents a significant artistic venture at one of Britain's leading theatres. Such unconventional pairings challenge audiences' expectations of what theatre can be, whilst demanding intensive daily preparation from cast and crew who must master both pieces simultaneously. The element of secrecy around nightly casting adds another layer of unpredictability to an already experimental undertaking.