Goldfrapp, the duo who have performed everything from pastoral ambient pop to glittery glam rock, are to score a production of Medea at the National Theatre.
Opening on 21 July, the tragic play by Euripides will feature Helen McCrory in the iconic title role, a woman plotting the downfall of her husband who plans to remarry into a royal family. It will be directed by Carrie Cracknell, whose production of Blurred Lines – an exploration of rape culture – was one of the theatre's big hits last year.
The NT's associate director Ben Power has written the adaptation, following his experimental productions on the theatre's roof and in the bright red Shed pop-up venue, including The Hush, a bizarre meditation on the power of sound made in collaboration with musician Matthew Herbert.
Goldfrapp's Will Gregory has already worked with the stage before, composing the opera Piccard In Space which was premiered by the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2011; in his pre-Goldfrapp days he performed saxophone in classical works including the premiere of John Adams's opera Nixon in China.
The Medea production will be broadcast to cinemas globally on 4 September as part of the National Theatre Live initiative.
