The Infernal Machine (play)

The Infernal Machine
Written byJean Cocteau
CharactersThe Voice, The Young Soldier, The Soldier, The Officer, Jocasta, Tiresias, Ghost of King Laius, The Sphinx, Anubis, A Thebian Mother, Her Son, Her Daughter, Oedipus, The Drunk, The Messenger from Corinth, Creon, The Old Shepherd, Antigone
Original languageFrench
GenreTragedy
SettingThebes, Greece

The Infernal Machine, or La Machine Infernale is a French play by the dramatist Jean Cocteau, based on the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus.[1] The play initially premiered on April 10, 1934 at the Theatre Louis Jouvet in Paris, France, under the direction of Louis Jouvet himself, with costumes and scene design by Christian Bérard.[2] The Infernal Machine, as translated by Albert Bermel, was first played at the Phoenix Theatre, New York, on February 3, 1958, under the direction of Herbert Berghof, with scenery by Ming Cho Lee, costumes by Alvin Colt, and lighting by Tharon Musser.

  1. ^ David Bradby. "Cocteau, Jean" in The Cambridge Guide to Theatre, ed. Martin Banham, 1988. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 225 pp. ISBN 0-521-43437-8.
  2. ^ Jean Cocteau, The Infernal Machine & Other Plays, New Directions, 1964. ISBN 978-0811221634.