Displaying items by tag: Trojan War

Last night, while waiting in the tranquil lounge of the Bramble Arts Loft, a familiar question floated around the theatergoers: Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? It’s a philosophical question that has been around for ages. It probably passed through the minds of those who first saw the play some 2,000 years ago. It’s a question I never tire of. The debates change based on the context of the time it is asked, and the mindset of the individual. For no matter how many times it is asked, no two answers are ever alike; life and the medium are inextricably linked. There’s no better example of this currently playing in Chicago than The Trojan Women, the inaugural production of Eos Theatre Company, now playing at the Bramble Arts Loft.

Ashway Lawver as Hecuba. Photos by Steven Townshend / Distant Era.

A blisteringly relevant modern-day version of Euripides' anti-war play, The Trojan Women, has been rewritten and is set in a mother-and-baby unit of a prison. The war is over. Beyond the prison walls, Troy and its people burn. Inside the prison, the city's captive women await their fate. Stalking the antiseptic confines of its mother and baby unit is Hecuba, the fallen Trojan queen, whilst the pregnant Chorus is shackled to her bed. But their grief at what has been before will soon be drowned out by the horror of what is to come, as the Greek lust for vengeance consumes everything – man, woman, and baby – in its path. This caustic and radical new version of Euripides' classic tragedy comes from one of the UK's most exciting young poets, Caroline Bird, and is directed by Rachel Sledd Iannantuoni. It is an intense, gripping look at what happens when the world collapses.

Photo by Steve Townshend | Distant Era

The Trojan War is ancient history, relegated to stories retold through modern media countless times over. Yet the story of the war and The Trojan Women remains as relevant today as it did thousands of years ago. Euripides’ The Trojan Women takes place at the end of the war. Troy is burning while the city's captive women wait to be told their fate by the victorious Greeks, who penetrated the city walls hiding inside the famous Trojan horse. Caroline Bird’s modern adaptation of Euripides' 415 BCE tale sets the play in a Trojan hospital turned prison by the Greek invaders. “Her work is a fierce exploration of the complex intersections of class, gender, patriarchy, and nationality,” says Iannantuoni. “It is timely and timeless. Sometimes comical. Often absurd. Ultimately heartbreaking.” Superbly acted by members of the Eos Theatre Company, The Trojan Women is a production that will stay with you long after you leave the theater.

Photo by Steve Townshend | Distant Era

War is hell. While many of us might not experience it firsthand, we can empathize with the horrors it leaves in its wake, for war is as timeless as the stories that come from them. Yet again, we’re faced with a meaningless war started by the few and fought by the many. Yet again, humans are faced with unfathomable choices. Yet again, we both come together and tear each other apart over claims of moral and ethical superiority. The Trojan Women could have easily been written today. The plight of women in a patriarchal world is reduced to little more than incubators and spoils of war. The question of the role men play in war: protectors or pillagers? The questions of gratitude and honor, dignity and demise. The Trojan Women beautifully – hauntingly -- explores all of this and inevitably leads us to ask ourselves a single question: Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? See this incredible and timeless production, and let’s get together at Simon’s Tavern to discuss.

Unlike the Trojan War, The Trojan Women only runs through April 18^th at Bramble Arts Loft (5545 N Clark St 2nd Floor, Chicago). Ferry your ships and set a course for Andersonville to get your tickets and a glimpse of this tragically timeless tale today.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

King Odysseus returns home to Ithaca after twenty years’ absence: ten years’ fighting the Trojan War (it takes time to build a big enough wooden horse), followed by a ten-year journey during which everything that could go wrong does go wrong: think rush-hour traffic on the Kennedy under construction. When he finally arrives, Odysseus finds yet another complication: in his absence a hundred men have undertaken to lay claim to his throne, actually taking up residence in Odysseus’ palace, scarfing down his harvests, seducing his servants, and harassing his wife.

Penelope has made every effort to discourage the putative suitors, her most recent gambit being a challenge to string Odysseus’ mighty bow, then use it to shoot an arrow through a line of a dozen axe handles. That’s pretty serious and, unsurprisingly, none of the opportunists manages. Everyone is amazed therefore when a stranger (Odysseus disguised as a beggar) nails it. The disappointed contenders aren’t happy about this, and are further aggrieved when the ‘beggar’ throws off his rags, identifies himself, and advises the intruders to hit the road.

Odysseus, legitimately vexed at the situation, answers their disgruntlement with violence and all hundred freeloaders are … well, the proper verb is in question, as it’s unclear whether Odysseus righteously executes or viciously murders them. This is the issue we explore in TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS: is Odysseus a champion, heroically defending his title, his home, and his family? Or is he a villain, goaded by jealous rage into a frenzy of unwonted slaughter?

TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was … what to call it? to be honest it was not truly theater. TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was presented as an actual trial, with Antonio M Romanucci and Daisy Ayllón of Romanucci & Blandin LLC prosecuting and Patrick M. Collins and Tinos Diamantatos of King & Spalding LLP arguing for the defense. A panel of four judges (Georgia M Alexakis, Sara L Ellis, Jeffrey G Chrones and Anthony C. Kyrikopoulos) and twelve jurors examined and cross-examined both the witness Phimeus (Leonardo Sfondouris) and Odysseus, played by Christos Vasilopoulos.

The final decision, however, was ours. Each audience member was provided with their choice of two tokens, blue for guilty and white for innocent. At the close of examination these tokens were collected and their count served as the verdict: Odysseus was found Not Guilty., I suspect that those voting Guilty did so from the viewpoint of twenty-first century law. I can’t believe anyone in the Bronze Age, roughly 1200 BCE, would not fully sympathize with Odysseus’ reaction, however grisly.

I’m totally ignorant of judicial matters, and someone better acquainted with legal procedure might have found problems with how the trial was portrayed, but I thought it was as credible as it was entertaining. For one, it certainly reflected the delay encountered in our modern magisterial system, as the event under arbitration occurred more than 3,000 years ago. A real trial for first-degree murder would probably incorporate less humor, but the Court had no difficulty drawing parallels across the three-millennium time difference; many of these comments were quite amusing and were certainly appreciated by the audience.

TRIAL OF ODYSSEUS was instructive, engaging, and just plain fun! The bad news is that it was a single production; there will be no further performances. But keep your eye on the National Hellenic Museum, as they offer regular events and exhibitions.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com.