Any fan of Ancient Greek mythology would likely scoff at the question: “Who was Medea?” A key character in the story of Jason and the Argonauts, a classic of the genre, it is no surprise then that Luigi Cherubini’s Medea is the oeuvre which the Lyric Opera of Chicago chose for its opening performance of the 2025-26 season. It is a show filled with loads of raw emotion, beautiful singing, and impeccable orchestral music—let’s talk Medea.
Honestly, coming into the show, I didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t familiar with the story of Medea, and only managed to briefly skim through the play’s leaflet’s first- and second-act synopses. However, right from the outset, it was clear that this was going to be something memorable. The magnificent overture smoothly transitioned into the start of the show, and just like that, we were off.
Almost immediately following the raising of the house curtain, the grandeur of the mise-en-scène was clear to see. The costumes were radiant; the set, simple and yet unnoticeably so, only complemented the on-stage action; the gigantic mirror in the back, though perhaps slightly perplexing at first, creatively helped illuminate the entirety of the stage to curious onlookers.
The performances were, across the board, excellent. Sondra Radvanovsky as Medea herself was just incredible. Employing every inch of her body, including, of course, her dazzling voice, Radvanovsky’s stirring rendering was able to masterfully convey the most intense, primal of emotions with an original, completely stupefying ease. Matthew Polenzani as Giasone, Zoie Reams as Neris, and Alfred Walker as Creonte were all also great, each of them beautifully rendering their parts, both orally and dramatically.
As mentioned briefly previously, the musical performance of the orchestra was simply magical. The charming music, combined with the musicians’ meticulous playing created a fascinating aura of allure, making the play feel all the more powerful.
In terms of downsides, I will say that, overall, I found Act II to be much more compelling than Act I. Now, this may just be because of the libretto’s plot’s inherent speeding-up or whatnot, but nonetheless, this is how I felt the performance went. Also, though her singing was quite splendid, I thought Elena Villalón’s rhythm was slightly off music-wise.
In any case, the opera all led up to its climactic end, which was, to say the least, pretty amazing. Without spoiling the plot, don’t get me wrong—the actual ending of the story is rather dark and even shockingly so. However, the imagery and intense fervor of it were evident as can be, and doubtlessly constituted the greatest part of the entire show. The last scene truly does leave an imprint on your mind, a sense of fundamental “wow!” which then pervades your thoughts throughout at least the following day.
For anyone, critic or not, I definitely recommend seeing the production. As someone who is, admittedly, not the biggest expert in opera, though I did find myself honestly dozing off during parts of the first act, trust me, Act II will have you wide awake, horrified and raptly watching to see what will happen next. Undoubtedly, Lyric’s take on Medea proved both bold and memorably striking, compellingly previewing what is set to be, I’m sure, a spectacular 2025-26 show season.
