The Trojan Women

‘The Trojan Women – after Euripides’, is being presented by Curtin University Theatre students, in the Hayman Theatre, Curtin Bentley Campus. It is now almost five years since the last production of this play by Curtin – the last being in the Rechabites Hall. This production has been adapted to a contemporary context and directed by Hayman’s Artist-in Residence, and the Artistic Director of Steamworks Arts Productions, Sally Richardson. The 95-minute performances start at 7.30 pm on weekdays until the 23^rd July.

‘The Trojan Women’ is the third tragedy of a Trojan trilogy.

         In Troy, the women – all dressed in black - are struggling to overcome their grief at the loss of most of their men folk. As the women are praying and remembering their men, Helen of Troy (Mary Soudi), re-enters the city and symbolically deposits the Trojan horse amongst her people, people who feel that she has betrayed them for her own greed and glory. Unfeelingly, she steps back to listen to her i-pod.

        There is an explosion and the Greek soldiers arrive, led by Herald Talthybius (Charles Wu) and his gun-wielding bodyguard (Waseem Parkar). The soldiers have been ordered to capture all the women and take them as sex-slaves, by boat, back to Athens.

        Dethroned-Queen Hecuba (Marina Del Borrello) is heartbroken at the loss of her son Hector, her youngest daughter, Polyxena, was sacrificed and most of her children slain. Talthybius tells her that her pure and innocent daughter, Cassandra (Mikaela Cotton) has been allotted as Agamemnon's concubine. Cassandra thinks the whole affair is exciting, and is thrilled to become a regal prize, not knowing the truth of her fate. Even her grandmother, Hecuba, has been chosen for general Odysseus.

       Hecuba’s daughter-in-law, Andromache (Emma Sullivan) is trying to cope with the tragic loss of her husband, Hector, when the soldiers return. Talthybius explains to Andromache that he has orders to take her very young and only son, Astyanax (Tessa Carmody) and throw him from the city battlements, as no son of a hero must be allowed to live in case he seeks revenge later in life.

        Menelaus (Danen Engelenburg) arrives to take his adulterous wife, Helen, back to Greece where a death sentence awaits her. She tries with every ounce of sex in her body to be released, but Menelaus is resolved to capture her.

       With Andromache now on a ship for Athens, Talthybius returns the corpse of Astyanax to Hecuba for burial.

      Throughout the play, the Trojan women weep for the demise of their homeland and finally see it go up in flames.

Gone are some of the major characters of the original heavy-going play, such as Athena and Poseidon, as this adaptation by Sally Richardson has made the story more ‘generic’ and certainly more easy for the audience to connect with present day happenings. We are reminded of the many areas of the world which have such wars, and of the brutality and the grieving.

The stage was a thick layer of sand in which the chorus write their messages – commiserations to stage crew, Erin Hegarty and Natalie Baggen, on having to remove it at bump-out. Designer, Susan McNelis also had the walls totally covered with the slogan ‘Wise men never have wars’ written in a dozen different languages and several scripts.

The modern soldiers’ uniforms (costumes Shelby Shaw) and guns, along with the incredible soundtrack (Charles Wu) of explosions and wailing, bring power to the fact that these happenings are still taking place every day. The lighting level is atmospherically low, with the spots placed at floor level to cast dark crisp threatening shadows. The bio-box crew, Megan Watson and Laura Grigson worked well with the complex operating script.

Sally’s direction, aided by Michael Collins, was fast action-filled but the emotion of the women seemed to be paramount, the visceral physical cruelty having minor importance. The chorus (Catherine Bonny, Alla Hand and Sophie Joske) were more than mere scene fillers, here they added to the atmosphere. The play was filled with symbolism, and the chorus were reminiscent of the 1960's Ban the Bomb protesters who used to chant against war outside armament centres. They sang modern songs, unaccompanied, ranging from the Seekers to the Rolling Stones and even a Fleet Foxes, all emphasising the depth of grief. At one point the chorus chanted their feelings about the war and actor Alla Hand, echoed their words in an Eastern tongue.

There were two or three noteworthy monologues; one by Hecuba was delivered powerfully in Italian. Cassandra’s arrogant happy-go-lucky talk to her mother was excellent. Cassandra’s attitude was similar to the bimbos that follow the cricket and footie players around. Andromache, on the giving up of her son, was most touching.

A powerfully acted play, for which the time just flew past. There was, perhaps, a little too much weeping but there again the play was never a fun experience. A true tragedy, well acted and produced with a fresh lateral approach to the old story. Not for everyone, but it certainly makes one think about life in Afghanistan, Iraq and many southern Mediterranean countries today.