Over the course of its two-decade history, MetroStage has built a sturdy reputation for presenting contemporary plays and musicals and featuring emerging playwrights, leaving the classics to others. That standing is not likely to change with the company's current production of Sophocles' Electra: Despite the ancient Greek pedigree, the compelling, emotionally satisfying production is very much of this moment.

For MetroStage's first foray into the works of the ancient Greeks, producing artistic director Carolyn Griffin chose the streamlined adaptation of Electra that Frank McGuinness created for a West End production and then brought to Broadway to significant acclaim in 1998. McGuinness has[...]