Full Breakdown
National Theatre’s “Elektra/Persona” Merges Greek Tragedy with Bergman’s Cinema
8/5/2026, 5:58:30 PM
Production Overview
The U.K. National Theatre is presenting “Elektra/Persona,” a two-part work that stages Sophocles’ *Elektra* in the first half and Ingmar Bergman’s *Persona* in the second. The production runs at the Lyttelton Theatre from mid-August through early October. Director Benedict Andrews designed the piece to explore “doubling and mirroring,” having the two leads alternate the four central roles each night.
Creative Genesis and Collaboration
Andrews explained that the concept emerged from the friendship among himself, Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss rather than from a pre-conceived directorial mandate. The trio’s long-standing working relationship includes three earlier collaborations with Andrews on *The War of the Roses* (2009), *Big and Small* (2011-12) and *The Maids* (2013-14) for the Sydney Theatre Company, as well as Hoss’s appearance in Andrews’s *The Cherry Orchard* at the Donmar Warehouse in 2024. Andrews also cited Bergman’s dual role as theatre director and filmmaker as an inspiration for blending the two texts.
Structure and Casting
The evening’s structure places *Elektra* in the first act and *Persona* in the second. Blanchett and Hoss each perform Elektra, Clytemnestra, Alma and Elisabet, swapping the pairings nightly. Andrews noted that this “swapped-role structure demands generosity” from the actors, requiring them to relinquish a fixed attachment to any single character. The supporting cast includes Ella Lily Hyland. The production is staged in partnership with Music Theatre International on behalf of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation.
Artistic Themes and Reflections
During a BFI Southbank conversation moderated by *The Guardian* chief film critic Peter Bradshaw, the participants discussed the interplay of masks, identity and grief across the two works.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It wasn’t an idea of like, either Cate or Nina should be Elektra or Elisabet,” — Benedict Andrews. Andrews, according to director
- “You would cast it very differently; you’d cast an older Clytemnestra, arguably you’d cast a younger Alma. The idea that in this piece about doubling and mirroring, the idea that they should become each other, and literally that that idea is embedded into our production with them playing both the roles and swapping the roles nightly, that’s built into the muscles and the fabric of the production.” — Benedict Andrews. Andrews, according to director
- “Cate and I, I think this is our fourth time working together,” — Benedict Andrews. Andrews, according to director
- “There’s a lot of masking and unmasking,” — Cate Blanchett
- “I think we are constantly in a state of knowing and not knowing simultaneously, wanting to hide and wanting to be revealed simultaneously,” — Cate Blanchett
