GREEK TRAGEDY WITH
A LOWRIDER HEART

Luis Alfaro’s barrio reimagining of Sophocles
turns Greek tragedy into a vibrant, joyous
story of identity, fate, and survival

Victor Almanzar, Javier David, Juan Arturo, Gabe Martínez

Playwright Luis Alfaro’s reimagining of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus El Rey, relocates the ancient tragedy to a Los Angeles barrio, where hope is hard to come by—especially for the four young Chicano men in prison garb who open the show by asking of a fellow inmate, “Who is this man that we should consider his story?” What follows is not a dry exercise in philosophy, but a vivid and unexpectedly exuberant portrait of gang life, identity, and fate.

Javier David

Juan Arturo, notably taller than the rest of the cast, has a noble presence as Oedipus, who explains his rise to the position of gang leader, El Rey, despite competition from Creon, a feisty Jaime José Hernández. The blind Tiresias (Victor Almanzar), who raised Oedipus with tenderness, is not his biological father, though Oedipus remains unaware of that fact; nor does he know the identity of his mother. Yet despite the mystery surrounding his origins, he is determined to escape a life of obscurity and poverty and create a better future for himself.

Melisa Pereyra, Juan Arturo

Juan Arturo, Melisa Pereyra

After his release from prison, Oedipus kills a man who taunts him on the road back to Los Angeles. He then persuades Creon, whom he knows from prison, to let him stay temporarily at the apartment Creon shares with his sister Jocasta (Melisa Soledad Pereyra), who is mourning the death of her husband Laius (Gabe Martínez), the former leader of the Chicano gang.

Jaime José Hernández

In typical rom-com style, Oedipus and Jocasta initially spar with one another in flirtatious taunts that mask an immediate attraction. Their courtship is celebrated with an exuberant dance party that pulls viewers from their seats and onto the floor, while their wedding becomes a more solemn communal ritual. What Oedipus does not realize until too late is that the man he killed was Laius—his biological father—and that Jocasta is his mother.

Victor Almanzar

Director Loretta Greco has a long history with this play, having directed its world premiere at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre in 2010. Despite the inevitability of its tragic outcome, Oedipus El Rey pulses with exuberance through its dance, music, and the eroticism of Oedipus and Jocasta’s relationship—the intimate nudity is more romantic than shocking. Although the story ends in blindness and death, the production ultimately finds redemption in granting these characters dignity, identity, and tragic stature.

Javier David

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photos by Marc J Franklin

Oedipus El Rey
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington at Calderwood Pavilion
Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St.
ends on June 14, 2026
for tickets, call 617.266.0800 or visit Huntington

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston

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BIO: Lynne Weiss is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association. Her reviews, travel tales, and progressively optimistic opinions are on her substack.