When Luis Alfaro (pictured) decided to update Sophocles' classic play "Oedipus Rex," the playwright assumed he would do something about Freud's well-known theory, the Oedipus complex. But after studying the Greek tragedy, Alfaro opted to forgo the doctor's couch and take on an equally disturbing topic -- the California prison system. His new work, "Oedipus El Rey," which follows a parolee trying to escape his fate, runs for four performances at the Getty Villa beginning Friday. "The story of Oedipus is really the story of 'Can we escape our destiny?' " says Alfaro. "I was really intrigued by what happens in the prison system because the recidivism rate is so high. When you get out of prison, is there a way that you can change your life. . . . Or are you destined to always be a prisoner in your mind even if you are free?" 8 p.m. Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun. 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. $7. (310) 440-7300, www.getty.edu
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