Paradise Lost

I love this city. I think that every time I walk down the streets at night. Tonight I went to a performance of John Milton's Paradise Lost. To know how exciting that is, you'd have to know that reading Paradise Lost when I was fifteen is why I wanted to study literature. Milton's Satan is one of the most gripping characters I've ever read, and tonight I saw an interpretation that matched the intensity of the text. Using physical theater, it brought Milton's projection of the cosmos into a blackbox space.

The actor playing Satan was just what I hoped--tormented, gritty, and seductive. And he actually came off as the villain! That's the thing with Paradise Lost--everyone likes Satan better than God or Jesus because Satan is psychologically complex and fascinating. Milton's version of the Trinity is pretty....well, boring. Perfection doesn't come off as complicated...or interesting. But, in the performance, the actor playing Christ made him a much deeper figure. As well he should be.

I love this city. I can't say that enough. Really--where else would I be seeing a live performance of Milton? Adapting it is not the easiest thing to pull off---Milton was writing epic poetry, not a script. They clearly had a passion for the text or they wouldn't have tried, and they knew that in Oxford they have an audience. I feel so, so happy to have seen something like this...I think I'm going to try stealing a poster once their run is over.