Publisher's Synopsis
In his daring new play, Sam Shepard looks to one of the most famous narratives in history-Oedipus Rex-and recasts it as a modern thriller. In this telling, Oedipus, King of Thebes, prophesized to kill his father and marry his mother, alternates between his classical identity and that of contemporary "Otto." His wife (and true mother), Jocasta, is also called Jocelyn, and his antagonist (and true father) is split into three characters, Laius, Larry, and Langos. Acting as our Greek chorus are two present-day policemen from the American West, who are determined to get to the bottom of this murder case. Dazzlingly inventive, ringing with the timelessness of myth, A Particle of Dread is an unforgettable work that grapples with questions of storytelling and destiny-the narratives that we pass down, and how they shape our lives. It is a play that lingers in the mind long after we finish the last scene.
