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MEDEA

 
Olivia Thompson Review by Olivia Thompson 3 Published: 1 Oct 2025 COLAB Tower Show Dates: 17 Sep 2025-27 Sep 2025

MEDEA, co-written by Adelaide Leonard and Bobby Halvorson and directed by Daniel Wallentine, is a bold reimagining of Euripides’ tragedy, relocated to a bleak New Mexico trailer park. Leonard, in the role of Maddy, gives a magnetic performance, moving effortlessly between vulnerability and fury. She also inhabits multiple other characters: her estranged husband Jay, their daughter Bella, and Ashley, the nauseatingly chipper interloper who has replaced her. The Ashley scene is a highlight, with Leonard playing the brightness and obliviousness of Jay’s new partner against Maddy’s simmering rage so precisely that the line between comedy and tragedy becomes razor-thin.

An arresting, resonant piece of theatre, anchored by a luminous central performance.

It’s not immediately clear what the production gains by setting this classic tale in New Mexico, beyond a nod to the state’s struggles with poverty and violence. Still, the staging makes inventive use of the COLAB Tunnel’s industrial space. The wide playing area allows for imaginative depictions of the trailer park, while a large portable ring light becomes a clever, multipurpose tool. It shifts from domestic glow to harsh interrogation beam, underlining the production’s tonal shifts. The venue does pose challenges: outside noise seeps into moments meant to hinge on silence. Since the play relies heavily on long, charged pauses, these intrusions occasionally undercut the tension Leonard so carefully builds. By contrast, scenes underscored by sound effects and music remain unaffected.

The opening feels scattered, as exposition and character introductions vie for attention. But once the story locks into Maddy’s spiralling attempts to hold her life together, the production finds its rhythm. A striking moment comes when she tries to renovate her trailer to regain custody of Bella, only for her planning to unravel into rambling that echoes across multiple audio tracks. It’s never quite clear what haunts Maddy most: the implied schizophrenia of this breakdown, her past trauma of escaping a cult, or her inability to build a stable life in Santa Fe. Regardless, her descent into desperation and violence feels steady and believable.

Despite its rough edges, MEDEA at COLAB Tower is an arresting, resonant piece of theatre, anchored by a luminous central performance.

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The Blurb:

Fresh off its run at the 2025 Nu Pen Festival and performed by LAMDA graduate Adelaide Leonard (“ephemeral” - A Young(ish) Perspective), MEDEA is a modern trailer park retelling of the classic Greek tragedy and a site-specific co-production with The COLAB Theatre. This production will take place at The COLAB Tunnel, a dedicated space for rotating visual and digital artists showcasing diverse, year-round exhibitions, from 16-27 September.