Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Euripides’ Iphigeneia in Tauris
Intothedark
Genre: classical
Venue: Euripides' Iphigeneia in Tauris
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A tense, visceral adaptation. Captivating, moving, and laced with themes of violence, human agency and gender politics which never strays into moralising.
Review
As you enter the space, a candle-lit figure lying prostrate before an altar featuring a statue, various masks and a blood-soaked deer’s head, you get the sense you’re in safe hands.
Iphigeneia has narrowly escaped a throat-slitting at the hands of her father Agamemnon, following an intervention by the goddess Artemis (a deal which went less well for the deer). By way of reparation, the eponymous priestess has been cast away to the distant land of the Taurians (nowadays thought to be the Crimean peninsula), and tasked with guarding the Temple of Artemis by ritually sacrificing anyone who darkens its doors.
Before long, two figures from Iphigeneia’s hometown of Argos make shore, intent on purloining the statue of Artemis – and the stage is set for arcs and destinies to twist and unravel.
Iphigeneia in Tauris is a remarkable play and this visceral adaptation, with multiple roles performed by three talented young women (Shani, Eilidh, and director Melissa Malcolm), flies by in a well-paced 70 minutes. Intothedark skilfully bring this Greek tragedy to life, and their portrayal of the eerie cult of Artemis carries the audience to a harrowing place beyond time. The staging is striking, the costumes stylish, and the stark lighting and well-timed soundtrack enhance the narrative.
A foot-stomping drag show directly above the venue rather interfered with the opening monologue, and the performers did well to hold it together and build intensity without skipping a beat. But this unwelcome intrusion was soon displaced by some scenery-chewing performances – one in particular.
A kind of entwined metanarrative seemed to take place in the realm of the gods. Perhaps I missed a line or two, but I got a little lost in these sections and felt the framing could perhaps have been a little clearer.
Overall, it felt like this small but enthralled audience was witnessing something special. Captivating, tense, moving, and laced with themes of violence, gender politics and human agency which never strayed into moralising.
This kind of hidden gem highlights the astonishing wealth of talent on offer at the Edinburgh Fringe. It deserves a much larger audience.
Keep an eye out for Intothedark – one to watch for the future. And grab one of the remaining performances of this run if you can.
