Stephen Rea stars in Sam Shepard’s modern-day riff on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy

It might be wise to reread Oedipus the King before seeing A Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations), now receiving its American premiere courtesy of the Signature Theatre. Sam Shepard’s aptly titled theatrical meditation on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy is like a series of jazzy riffs on its inspiration, plumbing the existential emotions of the work while loosely adapting it to modern-day times. This oblique intellectual exercise is likely to prove off-putting to all but the most adventurous audiences, although Shepard completists will no doubt want to catch the latest offering from the playwright’s ever-restless imagination. Originally presented by Ireland’s Field Day theater company, the piece stars veteran Shepard interpreter Stephen Rea in the dual roles of Oedipus and Otto. That duality is a recurring theme of the work, which alternates between a barely conveyed ancient Greece and the Southern California desert near Barstow. Oedipus, you’ll remember, was cursed by the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi, here known as “Uncle Del” (Lloyd Hutchinson), with the fate of eventually murdering his father, Laius, and marrying his mother Jocasta. To prevent these horrific events from happening, Laius penetrated his infant’s feet with a large pin and left him to die. The child was rescued and allowed to grow into manhood and, well, you know what happened next.