'Vengeance will be taken on the killer, then the land will be clean. The contamination will be washed away. The rains will come and the people will be healed.'

According to the Oracle, if the murderer of old King Laius is found and punished then all will be well. The people turn to their new ruler, Oedipus, the man who solved the riddle of the Sphinx, to hunt down the perpetrator and bring salvation.

He vows to succeed whatever the cost – and so begins an unstoppable pursuit of the truth through a harrowing labyrinth of fear and love.

Intimate and revelatory, Ella Hickson's version of Sophocles' transcendent tragedy premiered at The Old Vic, London, in 2025, produced by The Old Vic in association with Hofesh Shechter Company. It was co-directed by Matthew Warchus and Hofesh Shechter, and starred Rami Malek and Indira Varma.

'Seamy and superb... irresistible'

'Summons up a timeless realm rooted in primeval myth... lots of deft touches'

'Dazzling'

'A wily adaptation [that] hints at scathing insecurity bubbling beneath Oedipus's calm demeanour... Hickson's version is closely knitted to the intricacies of the original but subtly recalibrates emotions'

'Powerful and captivating... Ella Hickson's writing impresses throughout'

Ella Hickson's other plays include Swive [Elizabeth], ANNA, The Writer, Oil, Wendy & Peter Pan and Boys.