GREEK hero Jason – he of the Argonauts fame – is reduced to an outcast from society condemned to wander the world alone in The Bradfordians Dramatic Society’s latest production.

Graham Billing’s adaptation of Euripides’ Medea – first performed in 431 BC – becomes a darkly brooding and visually stunning piece in the atmospheric and beautiful setting of Bradford on Avon’s ancient Holy Trinity Church.

I’m not sure if The Bradfordians have ever performed there before but on the strength of this production it’s a venue they should be asking to use more often.

It’s also the first time the award-winning amateur theatre group has staged a Greek tragedy and under Simon Blacksell’s able direction they made a very good fist of it.

For those who don’t know, or have never read the Greek myths, the play is based upon the Greek legend of Medea and tells of Jason and the Argonauts who set sail from Greece to steal the Golden Fleece from the King of Colchis.

In Greek mythology, Medea is an enchantress who helped Jason to obtain the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeëtes of Colchis.

She was of divine descent and had the gift of prophecy. She married Jason and used her magic powers and advice to help him.

After her father King Aeëtes of Colchis dies, they escape together and Jason marries her and brings her back to Greece with their two children.

But his marriage to a non-Greek ‘barbarian’ is not recognised and she is shunned by everyone, including eventually Jason who blames her for his woes and leaves her for a Greek princess, Creusa, daughter of the King Creon of Corinth.

After being humiliated by her unfaithful husband, Medea finds her position in the Greek world threatened. She takes a terrible revenge by murdering Creusa as well as her own two sons, after which she escapes to Athens to start a new life.

The cast is superbly led by Jude Bucklow as Medea, who brought to life a woman scorned by the hero husband she loves but by whom she is ultimately betrayed.

Al Brunker provides a strong counterpart as Jason, whose hopes and dreams have turned to dust as he is blamed for King Aeëtes death and is ostracised by society wherever he goes.

Liz Holliss, Lucy Upward and Andrew Creed provide strong performances in the supporting roles of Gora the nurse, Creusa and King Creon respectively.

Interestingly, the director uses puppetry for the roles of Medea and Jason’s two children, who are eventually murdered by their mother.

The main cast are backed by a 16-strong chorus who act as the moral arbiters of the plot, reinforcing Greek belief that humanity is just a toy of the Gods.

At the heart of Medea, however, is the age-old exploration of what happens when an unfaithful husband cheats on his wife and the unforeseeable consequences that follow.

Medea is on for three nights to Saturday, November 23 and starts at 7.30pm with no interval. The running time is 90 minutes.

To buy tickets, go to https://www.thebradfordians.com/box-office/