Medea is one of Euripedes' shorter plays, but Vasilyev has added some spectacular scenes of rituals and stretched the running time of the production to three hours. Though he follows the script to the letter, the chorus's role has been elevated through music and - with the help of Horváth - allegorical choreography.
Vasilyev overdoes the connection between death and intoxication in some parts of the production. The messenger who reports the death of King Creon and his daughter is played by three actors who tell the news with the happy faces of television presenters, in Greek, French and English. And when Medea slays her children, the chorus sings cheerfully accompanied by a bouzouki.
