Calendar Search
SEE ALSO
Event Calendar



Visit Home Event Calendar Event Information

Agamemnon at the Getty Villa

 

Dates: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, September 4–27, 2008, with previews on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, August 28–30.
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Getty Villa, The Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater
Admission: $38; $32 students/seniors. Previews $15.

 

This open-air staging by acclaimed director Stephen Wadsworth resurrects Aeschylus's unsettling domestic drama of The House of Atreus, heard in a riveting translation by the late Robert Fagles.

Outdoor Classical Theater at the Getty Villa

The victorious Agamemnon arrives home with his surviving troops after the bloody battle for Troy. As the drama unfolds, a returning soldier bears witness to unthinkable carnage, a city questions the wisdom of the decade-long war, and a family turns the violence of war in on itself.

Cast
Tyne Daly (Gypsy, Rabbit Hole, Judging Amy) and Delroy Lindo (Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Cider House Rules, Kidnapped) lead a talented cast:

Kathryne Dora Brown—Iphigenia
Frank Corrado—Chorus Leader
Burton Curtis—Watchman
Tyne Daly—Clytaemnestra
Mark Deakins—Herald
Francesca Faridany—Cassandra
Nicholas Hormann—Chorus Leader
Delroy Lindo—Agamemnon
Bellina Logan—Electra
Timothy V. Murphy—Aegisthus
Michael Winters—Chorus Leader

Tyne Daly and Delroy Lindo

About Agamemnon
The Trojan War, the most enduring of all Greek legends, is the backdrop for this powerful and moving tale of the cursed House of Atreus by Greek tragedian Aeschylus (525 B.C.–456 B.C.). After ten long years away at battle in the bloody Trojan War, King Agamemnon of Mycenae returns home to Argos, where he faces the wrath of his adulterous queen, Clytemnestra. She stabs him to death as revenge for having selfishly sacrified their daughter to appease the gods and further the war effort. The cycle of revenge continues in the ensuing plays in the trilogy as Clytemnestra and Agamemnon's son, Orestes, avenges his father's death only to be driven mad by the gods.

Please note: This production contains material that may not be suitable for young children.

About Stephen Wadsworth
Director and translator Stephen Wadsworth has brought his witty, passionate, visually evocative reimaginings of plays and operas by Molière, Wagner, Handel, Mozart, Shaw, Wilde, Coward, and other greats to astonished audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has been praised for his "blend of historical fidelity, choreographic rigor, aesthetic refinement, and startling jolts of psychological intensity" (American Theatre Magazine).

Read or download the Agamemnon program.

FAQs
Get answers to frequently asked questions about this performance.

Free Shuttle and Dining Options
For your convenience, a free shuttle from the Getty Center in Los Angeles to the Getty Villa in Malibu will be available to each individual who purchases an Agamemnon event ticket for previews on August 28, 29, or 30 or performances between September 4 and 27.

The shuttle will pick up guests in the Getty Center parking structure, on level P1. Boarding will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the shuttle will leave the Getty Center at 6:40 p.m. Ticket holders must present their Agamemnon tickets prior to entering the shuttle. The shuttle will depart the Getty Villa promptly at 10:00 p.m.

Shuttle space is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have any questions, please call (310) 440-7300.

Prior to the performance, a variety of food items and beverages will be available to purchase at the Cafe at the Getty Villa and the Coffee Cart.

As an additional convenience, pre-paid box dinners are also available, to be picked up at the Cafe at the Getty Villa before the performance. Please use the form below to fax or call in your menu selections and payment information by the Monday before the performance date purchased.

Download the box dinner reservation form (PDF, 72KB).

Please note that visitors will not be permitted to enter the site with food, beverages, or alcohol. All bags may be subject to security inspection, and backpacks and bags larger than 11 x 17 x 8 inches must be checked at the coat check in the Entry Pavilion.

Related Event

Living with Aeschylus's Agamemnon
A Talk with Director Stephen Wadsworth
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 2:00 p.m.
Getty Villa, Auditorium

Join director Stephen Wadsworth and theater historian Mary Louise Hart, associate curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum, as they explore the significance of Aeschylus's Agamemnon in ancient and contemporary culture and discuss the creative process behind the staging of this tragic tale of the House of Atreus at the Getty Villa. Free; a ticket is required.

Stephen Wadsworth


How to Get Here
The Getty Villa is located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, approximately 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The parking fee is waived with your purchase of a ticket to an Agamemnon performance. See Hours, Directions, Parking for maps and driving directions.

Event Information by E-Mail
Be the first to know about upcoming performances, lectures, and exhibitions by signing up for our free e-newsletters. Learn more and sign up now.