JADAR

★★★☆☆

What is love to a Goddess? Is a work in progress solo-show performed and written by Maz Hedgehog as part of PUSH Festival at HOME MCR. It retells the mythological story of Medea, traversing her relationship with Jason, numerous murders and desire for dominion.

As a lifelong lover of mythology, I was extremely excited to see a reinterpretation of Medea. For me, Medea is a symbol of feminine rage, power and dominion. Hedgehog’s interpretation was extremely faithful (possibly too faithful) to the source material, and did not hesitate to include all the gory details of the original myth.

Hedgehog’s performance was the highlight of the piece. Despite some stutters, they deftly switched between Medea’s elegant poise and destructive rage. Hedgehog’s writing was poetic, flitting between heartfelt descriptions of Jason, and self-aggrandising tirades in which she proclaims herself “a titan!”. The vibrance and nuance of their acting allowed Medea to feel like a fully fledged character, allowing us to understand her frustration and jealousy while being subjected to recounts of brutal murder.

As this is a work-in-progress piece, some of the technical aspects were not the most refined – with recorded tracks feeling very obviously looped. Additionally, while the modern playlist was extremely on theme as a pre-show playlist, it ultimately distracted from the action when played alongside dialogue. Both of these took me out of the action slightly, and I would suggest refining the sound design for future interpretations.

Additionally, there were some issues with pacing and structure. To traverse Medea’s entire narrative, Hedgehog made the decision to exit and re-enter the stage. These moments felt quite awkward and static, as in a solo piece, the performer’s absence is felt all-too-well. The transitions between life stages have so much potential for exploring the dramatic turns in Medea’s life beyond simple explanation. I would have loved to see more movement, or sections that truly displayed her magic rather than simply explaining it.

Additionally, these silent moments led to a confusion where the audience clapped prematurely in a blackout. Yet Hedgehog quickly regained composure and concluded the piece with poise and power. I think with slightly more attention to pacing and transitions, the temporal shifting of the piece will be an asset.

Faye Draper’s direction allowed the emotion to shine through, yet I would have liked more extreme highs and lows explored more viscerally throughout the piece. Her direction alludes to violence without displaying it, and personally I believe the piece could have benefitted from giving more space to the effects of the violence, allowing us to experience the cruelty, the deftness and the life-altering aspects of Medea’s rage.

Ultimately, What is love to a Goddess? is a poetic, modern retelling of an age-old story of a powerful woman. While Hedgehog does not radically reinvent the story of Medea, they do the original tale justice through skillfully tackling themes of femininity, ostracisation and desire. I am extremely excited to see where Hedgehog takes the piece next.