Beware of Tyrone Guthrie bearing Greek gifts. The pity and terror of tragedy are alien to his impish nature. He has an irresistible urge to inject modernity into a classic through props, stage tricks and character stunts rather than to extract what is timelessly significant in the play. He is more like an M.C. introducing novelty acts than a director exploring drama. All of these traits mar his direction of the Minnesota Theater Company's The House of Atreus. The production is ambitious in intent but puny in passion, execution and depth.
The House of Atreus is an adaptation by John...