Let me start with an apology. There was no programme supplied with this show and the flyer only gave a list of cast members, a trawl through the internet didn’t produce any results either. So whilst I can tell you that this was an excellently conceived piece of work with some beautifully measured performances, I can’t single out any actor in particular, I am, so to speak, in the dark..
This lack of illumination however was appropriate as the production itself, nominally following the precepts of Theatre of Cruelty, was performed entirely without lights – other than a few torches and whilst this seemed more like an imaginative attempt to deal with the limitation of the venue rather than a true commitment to the confrontational theatre form it did add to the claustrophobic intensity of the piece.
This condensed version of the Euripides tragedy set after the fall of Troy with the widows, sisters and daughters awaiting their fate, was powerfully delivered by the cast hidden amongst the shadows. Hecuba, the former queen both denying and stoically holding on to her power with the ruins of her palace around her was full of dignity, bitterness and strength and the madness of Cassandra and Andromache was palpable and touching even in the gloom.
The male cast members were unsurprisingly, less able to stand out from the murk, in the playing of Menaleus in paricular failed to come with the requisite menace and authority, but overall the play rested on the womens’ tortured, haunted anticipation of their fates and they managed to draw the audience into their terror, anger and bewilderment through the power of their voices and commitment to character.
I would like to be able to single out individual performers, Hecuba was particularly strong and sat dominating the centre of this production, but perhaps in a show concerned with the loss of roles, be it queen, lover, wife or Trojan, anonymity is appropriate. Either way this is a production worth ‘seeing’ and Random ACT have produced a play that shines with quality
Interesting review Neil. The lack of cast details was, indeed, irritating. For anyone interested, the cast are detailed in my review on the Annals of Edinburgh Stage:
http://thomdibdin.co.uk/?p=1182
I actually seen this and thought it was amazing! The man playing Menaleus actually petrified me, his treatment of Helen was horrific! Fantatsic show.