I once saw Zoë Wanamaker at the Donmar in a production of Elektra. That was the version of the tragic Greek myth as told by Sophocles. John Heilpern, writing in the New York Observer, wrote:Zoë Wanamaker's Electra is a miraculous achievement – one of the finest performances I've ever seen.
For myself I do remember it as being the most intense experience I've had at the theatre, heightened by the fact that old Donmar theatre was a tiny space where the seating and the stage area (no raised proscenium here) were pretty much the same thing. It was like being in a front room with someone who has suffered a series of unimaginable family tragedies.
This, however isn't Sophocles's version but Rob Bowman's. Actually 'version' is the wrong word, judging by the description (I haven't seen it as yet) 'whole-different-story-but-with-a-similarly-named-character' would be a more accurate description:
Rob Bowman's fantasy thriller stars Jennifer Garner as Elektra, an assassin tutored by the mysterious martial arts master Stick (Terence Stamp). Her latest assignment is to keep Mark Miller (Goran Visnjic) and his daughter Abby (Kirsten Prout) safe from the ninja warriors of the evil Order of the Hand, to whom she once paid allegiance. Now on the side of good, her task is to protect those who can tip the balance between good and evil, but can she overcome her once-fellow assassins?
It's new on 4oD. Check it out.
