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mmoa_writes at 10:47pm on 25/02/2008 under ancient greek, classics, criticism, euripides, mythology, national theatre, women of troy
mmoa_writes at 10:47pm on 25/02/2008 under ancient greek, classics, criticism, euripides, mythology, national theatre, women of troyJust returned home from watching 'Women of Troy' (http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/womenoftroy) at the National Theatre. I actually found it more or less quite good, but then, I had such ludicrously low expectations and terrible fears of the utter farce I was expecting (and honestly, could all too easily have turned into), that I was practically calling for Oscar's all round by the end...
...the only real problem that I had was Helen. The actress chose to go along the lines of a fallen woman making panicky excuses for herself, which is not the most sophisticated - and perhaps the most modern - take on it that one could decide. It just added to the raw nerves and hysteria, which was well enough, but just not as interesting as the portrayal of a fellow queen, remaining calm in the face of probable death. I would have appreciated another Hecuba, an interpretation which, I feel, would have contrasted very well with the anger and lamentation of the Trojan women.
But no matter.
The effects were overall very good. I half expected the director to go even further (with her use of Burt Bacharach, Benny Goodman, wild dances that were preceded and then followed by eerie slow-motion mimes of ballroom dancing) and delve into the use of video media to capture the chaos and numbers involved, but in hindsight, that would have been a step too far and I do have a bias towards the more physical productions, which avoid computer trickery and indie-music video style visual effects.
Menelaus was also a bit of a disappointment: he had a thick Scottish accent, which says enough, really. Just once, I'd like to see someone try and actually make him a king, instead of some East End/Glaswegian heavy cum stereotyped Henry VIII. Just once.
I also found that I was more disappointed by the cut of the speech made by Athene and Poisedon at the beginning of the play than I thought I would be. Because the myth of Troy is no longer part of our canon anymore, I thought it would actually have been quite useful to show the forces that were at work behind the tragedy of Troy and the forces that would determine the future tragedy of the Greeks returning home (as most of them would not and the ones that did... well. Certainly there's not much in the way of joyous homecoming upon their arrival).
If we are to understand the stripping of the gods as modernisation, as their presence certainly provides no more pietic comfort than their absence, then I would have expected the same of Cassandra's prophetic ramblings which only served as comic entertainment for hoi polloi in the audience who were actually just sniggering away. *shrugs* Just my two pennies worth.
Does rather make me look forward to my next theatre trip and the King's College Classics department production (have no idea what they'll be offering this year).
...the only real problem that I had was Helen. The actress chose to go along the lines of a fallen woman making panicky excuses for herself, which is not the most sophisticated - and perhaps the most modern - take on it that one could decide. It just added to the raw nerves and hysteria, which was well enough, but just not as interesting as the portrayal of a fellow queen, remaining calm in the face of probable death. I would have appreciated another Hecuba, an interpretation which, I feel, would have contrasted very well with the anger and lamentation of the Trojan women.
But no matter.
The effects were overall very good. I half expected the director to go even further (with her use of Burt Bacharach, Benny Goodman, wild dances that were preceded and then followed by eerie slow-motion mimes of ballroom dancing) and delve into the use of video media to capture the chaos and numbers involved, but in hindsight, that would have been a step too far and I do have a bias towards the more physical productions, which avoid computer trickery and indie-music video style visual effects.
Menelaus was also a bit of a disappointment: he had a thick Scottish accent, which says enough, really. Just once, I'd like to see someone try and actually make him a king, instead of some East End/Glaswegian heavy cum stereotyped Henry VIII. Just once.
I also found that I was more disappointed by the cut of the speech made by Athene and Poisedon at the beginning of the play than I thought I would be. Because the myth of Troy is no longer part of our canon anymore, I thought it would actually have been quite useful to show the forces that were at work behind the tragedy of Troy and the forces that would determine the future tragedy of the Greeks returning home (as most of them would not and the ones that did... well. Certainly there's not much in the way of joyous homecoming upon their arrival).
If we are to understand the stripping of the gods as modernisation, as their presence certainly provides no more pietic comfort than their absence, then I would have expected the same of Cassandra's prophetic ramblings which only served as comic entertainment for hoi polloi in the audience who were actually just sniggering away. *shrugs* Just my two pennies worth.
Does rather make me look forward to my next theatre trip and the King's College Classics department production (have no idea what they'll be offering this year).
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