[A theatre review by Michael Szombathy]
Sock & Buskin’s latest production is the Ancient Greek tragedy, The Trojan Women by Euripides. I highly recommend this production as it is an excellent show with a first-rate cast. David Whiteley’s inspired direction sets this play, about the destruction of Troy, in post WW2 Hiroshima. Linking the "fire from the belly of the horse" to the fire dropped by The Enola Gay, we see a Troy (Hiroshima) in ruins with its riches stolen and its women sold as slaves. Whiteley uses Gwendolyn MacEwen’s modern translation to full effect and he has woven together a powerful theatrical event that kept the audience captivated, and moved many to tears. Sock & Buskin’s first show this season is a knockout and is an event worth seeing. You better see it soon, because it is playing for only 3 more days at Alumni Theatre on the Carleton University Campus.
The Trojan Women plays Alumni Theatre (Southam Hall) at Carleton University. Show dates are November 17,18,19,20 at 8pm with a 2pm matinee on the 20th.
Fans and friends of David Whiteley know that his greatest strength is his ability to see truly original and unique production possibilities in theatrical texts.
The resetting of this play in Japan gives it a sense of immediacy that is often absent in productions of historical plays. The parallels between Troy and Hiroshima are truly uncanny and we know that the Ancient Greeks faced the same moral, social and political issues as our modern world. War, it seems, is timeless. His next greatest strength is his ability to attract genuine talent to help him bring this vision to fruition. The actors, designers and creative team believe in the show, and with Whiteley at the helm, they work hard to produce wonderful theatre. The Trojan Women exemplifies this ideal and one senses that each person gives all they can to make this show work.
It is important to know that Greek Tragedy is meant to be externalized. The plays were performed in outdoor amphitheatres to huge audiences. The actors wore masks and bellowed their lines. Also, the text is poetic rather than prosaic. The naturalism and internal characterizations from modern theatre are simply not in the ancient Greek texts. This makes the plays seem a little mannered and unreal. Still, this cast works with these conventions and give some wonderful performances.
Gordon Neufeldt is appealing as Poseidon. As his prologue proceeds, Neufeldt reveals Poseidon’s weariness and frustration. A film actor, Neufeldt handles the transition to live theatre and strikes an impressive figure on stage. He is a proud but broken God in a broken world. Manon Dumas gives us a beaten but still proud Hecuba, the Queen of Troy. Those of you who know Dumas from her previous work will not recognize her in this show. Dumas, who is demure and beautiful, transforms herself into the crippled and aged Hecuba. She shows the extreme anger and anguish that torments the fallen queen, bull dozing over anybody that gets in her way. We see the character’s emotional journey from hope to complete despair as the play unfolds. We will certainly see more of Dumas on Ottawa stages as she can really carry a play and has the versatility to play a wide range of roles.
Nancy Kenny and Lisa Twardowska give memorable performances as Hecuba’s fallen daughters, Cassandra and Andromache. Losing everything, they are pushed to emotional extremes which each actress carries off to great effect. Kenny moves with grace and sensuality, mocking the Trojan honour and intractability which cost them the war while Twardowska fills the theatre with Andromache’s anguish and ultimate defeat.
Jennifer Scrivens does a stellar job as Helen of Troy. She is radiant and lovely, oozing charm and armed with a cunning intelligence. Scrivens is known as a wonderful comedienne, but here she demonstrates an equal facility for tragedy. Her performance is nuanced and she shows all the different sides of Helen. She can be coy, vindictive, frightened and alluring in a single line. Scrivens is "fully divine" as Helen and one cannot help but be impressed by this Ottawa actress.
Equally impressive is Kieran More as Talthybius, a Greek officer who serves as a messenger to the Trojan women, trying to reassure the soon to be slaves. He gives the most natural performance and is therefore the most complex character in the play. Trapped between orders and values, More shows us Talthybius’s ultimate resignation to fate. Blessed with one of the best tenor voices on the Ottawa stage, he finds both beauty and horror in the play’s text.
Matthew Domville brings some levity to the tragedy with his energetic performance of Menelaus, the cuckolded King who destroys Troy in order to retrieve his bride, Helen. He is genuinely funny and makes the most of the script’s comedy. However, Domville shows us the dangerous rage and impatience that drove the king to his mad quest for vengeance and honour.
The real stars of this show are the Chorus of Trojan women. These 9 actors execute a remarkably complex series of choreographed movements and poetry. Serving as participant and commentator, the Chorus reflects on each stage event giving us better insight into the issues raised in the play. These beautiful ladies are superstars and perform as a single, multifaceted unit displaying the full range of emotional consequence in the play. They give the play energy, aesthetic beauty and cement the narrative in the minds of the audience. We laugh, cry and seethe with these women who are soon to be Greek slaves and unwilling brides. They are a powerful part of the show and carry us forward to the play’s final, tragic outcome.
Two unspoken parts must be mentioned. Matthew Stefiuk’s soldier brings the right level of menace to the stage, yet he can be funny and solemn, enhancing the emotional content of the play. Hannah Sidaris-Hersh is simply excellent as the son of Andromache. Yes, she is the daughter of two well-known Ottawa actors and she handles herself like a pro. Her final entrance is one of the most difficult actions that any actor can carry out. Hannah will be a force on the Ottawa stage in years to come.
Finally, one needs to pay attention to the beautiful set and costumes. Nancy Solman’s Hiroshima is evocative, showing the destruction and fatigue of this ruined city. Juanita Devos’s costumes are excellent and give the show a real sense of spectacle. These costumes would be at home in professional theatres, and they really make the characters stand out on Carleton’s big stage.
Make an effort to see this play. Whiteley’s interpretation of the text is inspired and results in one of the best productions of Greek tragedy that I have seen. The cast is very good and working as a team, they make the play relevant and meaningful to modern audiences.