Myths Unbound and New Celts Productions presents a fresh perspective on the ancient Grecian tale of ‘Prometheus Bound’. As stated in the play’s title we experience this story through the tragic character of ‘Io’, as she falls victim to the abusive powers of the male gods within her story. Written by Kira Mason and Directed by Edoardo Berto, audiences can see this twisted tale at the Space on the Mile, Venue 39 – Space 3 on every odd date from the 7th-27th August.
Upon entering the space the audience discovers the statuesque characters of Hermes, Prometheus and Io placed on pedestals and are immediately immersed into Ancient Greece. The story is brought to life by the ocean nymphs played by Sarah Michelle Ault, Madeleine Ellis and Andrea Linhova. The nymphs, like many great trios, are made up of a collective of different personalities that harmonise well together. Ault’s aggressive and blunt-natured character brings a great energy and comedic humour to the role. Ault is able to convey the complexity of her character in the more sympathetic moments towards the tragic Io, which invokes a great deal of compassion pulling at the heartstrings of the audience. Ellis is able to form a bond of trust with the audience through herlovely childlike innocence her direct address. Linhova’s seductive femme fatale persona, matched with her fluid physicality, provides an alluring presence on stage as well as comedy value. It’s as if the Power-Puff Girls have been transported to Ancient Greece. This fun dynamic trio, dressed in green, blue and pink confidently guides the action as Prometheus Bound unfolds. James Hay multi-roles as both Hermes and Hephaestus. Hay easily shifts from the villainous Hermes to the broken Hephaestus delivering great moments of both comedy and drama. Gunnar Bjerke brilliantly portrays the tortured soul of Prometheus who is filled with great sadness, cunning and lots of modern pop culture references. Bjerke’s performance challenges the audience to question if we should sympathise for the god as he his held in captivity or feel that this prison is a form of justice for giving humanity blind hope. Alyssa McGuire plays the tragic character of Io.As the only human in this story, the audience witnesses the harrowing tales of abuse that has been inflicted on Io. Having been placed in a predetermined narrative, McGuire’s fiery and powerful performance endeavors to fight against “fate” and forge her own pathway in this world.
The ensemble of talented performers effectively present this new version of this story with wonderful energy, great comedy and brilliant emotional performances.
Mason’s inspiring script transforms the traditional version into a modern retelling capturing prevalent hot topics in society today. The script questions morality at every turn and provides a great balance of comedy throughout the journey that the audience are taken upon. Paired with the brilliant direction by Berto, the play finds balance between tongue-in-cheek and dramatically combative moments which produces a nuanced production. Ault’s choreography of movement sequences enhances the story by presenting a chess board of pieces trying to out maneuver one another. Transformative set design by Laura Bachmann and a carefully curated sound design by Bjerke and Hay blends perfectly to create an overall brilliant production.
Myths Unbound and New Celts Productions have developed a fantastic new interpretation of a classical story, giving new appreciation to characters discarded by history. I would highly recommend this production to any Fringe goer this summer.
Get tickets for ‘Prometheus Bound’ below:
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/prometheus-bound-io-s-version
Theatre Scotland 
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