A STARTLING opening and climax cannot disguise the stodgy middle to this 80-minute adaptation of Sophocles' bloody revenge thriller Electra.
A claustrophobic atmosphere is cleverly created from the moment the audience enter the misty, cramped arena and take their seats around the edge.
The pulsating opening scenes see the stage plunged into darkness, out of which emerge fleeting glimpses of Agamemnon's brutal murder - witnessed by his young daughter Electra.
It is only when we fast forward to find the adult Electra still haunted by his killing and determined to wreak revenge on the culprits, her mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus, that the problems begin.
Despite strong performances, especially from Cath Whitefield as the troubled heroine, the tension fails to build.
However loudly the cast shout about how miserable they are, this feels more like an hour-long counselling session than the intense drama it wants to be.
There are some nice touches from director Carrie Cracknell, such as the conversations between Electra and her 10-year-old self, an almost ghostly apparation, dressed in white.
But ultimately, even the menacing final scene can't hide the fact that we're left scratching at the skin of grief rather than being plunged into its jaws.
Electra is at the Gate until May 14.
