A showy `Phedre` arrives from England

Washington: Intemperate exclamations are the very stuff of celebrity these days.

From a South Carolina congressman to a rap star to a tennis champion, emotional remarks made in the heat of passion — or otherwise — are earning media attention with increasing frequency. One wonders what bloggers or YouTube or Twitter would have made of the utterances that set the plot boiling in "Phedre," Racine`s classic 17th-century take on a noble Athenian woman`s amorous desperation. In this case, it`s the royal title character declaring her love for stepson Hippolytus after learning (incorrectly it turns out) her husband Theseus is dead. This admission is one of the highlights of director Nicholas Hytner`s showy, theatrically charged production from the National Theatre of Great Britain. It`s now on an international tour and stopping at the Shakespeare Theatre Company`s Sidney Harmon Hall for a limited engagement through Sept. 26. The production is big on passion but not quite as steady in producing the tears that should flow by the time the final curtain falls. The draw of this revival is, of course, its leading lady, Helen Mirren, public television`s Jane "Prime Suspect" Tennison and an Oscar winner for "The Queen." Mirren is a savvy, intelligent actress, and there is a sardonic, all-knowing edge to her Phedre. Despite the woman`s agony, Mirren looks splendid, particularly in a flowing, deep purple gown. And if her designs on the younger Hippolytus, played by the magnetic Dominic Cooper, are not exactly cougarish, Mirren`s Phedre exudes a kind of predatory desire for her stepson that gets odd laughter from the audience. It makes her eventual destruction colder and less affecting than it should be. Yet the actress handles Ted Hughes` clear, muscular translation with crisp assurance. The language is supple, ever flowing, never calling attention to itself. It is particularly eloquent in delineating the play`s other romantic complication — the love of Hippolytus for the beautiful Aricia, the last in a line of his father`s sworn enemies. Cooper, who first attracted attention in Hytner`s stage and screen versions of "The History Boys," effectively portrays the young man`s inner turmoil: his love-hate relationship with his father, a man he admires for his daring, heroic deeds and yet despises for his lustful use and then disabuse of women. It`s a turmoil compounded by Hippolytus` desire for Aricia, portrayed by Ruth Negga, a young actress who brings a striking physicality to her performance. She projects a sweet sensuousness but is able to react with surprising ferocity to the news of Hippolytus` gruesome death. The youth`s demise is reported by his tutor, Theramene, played by John Shrapnel. He delivers the report in the most florid — and wrongheaded — manner possible, underlining every bit of weeping and wailing. Excessiveness also mars the blustery performance of Stanley Townsend as Theseus, who looks as if he is an aging biker in search of a Harley-Davidson. Phedre`s machinations are abetted by her faithful nurse, Oenone, played by the scene-stealing Margaret Tyzack, an actress blessed with the canny ability to make every word be heard — and count. Hytner has brought together an exemplary design team, starting with Bob Crowley. His roughhewn setting of rocks and brilliant blue sky have been lighted with astonishing vividness by Paule Constable. "Phedre" is something of a growth industry this year. Besides the National`s version, there is a revival (in a new translation by Timberlake Wertenbaker) playing in rep at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada through Oct. 3. It travels to San Francisco`s American Conservatory Theater early next year (Jan. 15-Feb. 7). And for those seeking a student production, check out a revival at the Yale School of Drama which unleashes its take on the Ted Hughes` adaptation in New Haven, Conn., Oct. 27-31. Bureau Report