Review: THE TROJAN WOMEN at Taffety Punk Theatre Company

Riot Grrls, the all-women arm of Taffety Punk Theatre Company, made the brilliant decision to take on THE TROJAN WOMEN, a play written by Euripides and translated into English by Edith Hamilton. Although the play itself is practically as old as time, the story remains jarringly relevant in today's time. It is directed by Kelsey Mesa.

The humanity and reality they bring to the drama was beautifully powerful and moving, and the piece is as timely as ever.

Helen Hayes Award nominee Brigid Cleary takes on the tragic Trojan Queen, Hecuba, fallen with her city into ruin and fighting despair as she awaits whatever fate is to befall her at the hands of the conquering Greeks. With her in captivity wait a chorus of fellow Trojan women, as well as her daughter-in-law Andromache (Shanara Gabrielle), her daughter Cassandra (Liz Daingerfield), and the lady of the hour and cause of ruin, the beautiful Helen (Sara Dabney Tisdale). Every once in a while, they receive more word on their fate through the messenger, Talthybius, though it only grows darker and darker.

What makes the play such a modern experience is not only the fact that we live in a time of uncertainty and continuing wars that encroach ever closer to our daily lives, but the way the story deals with loss of place, security, family and relationships, and identity. The questions which Brigid Cleary asks herself in order to plunge the depths of her character, the broken queen, come through the production loud and clear, resonating out long into the night after the show. "What is left of you when everything that defined you is gone? Who are you after the devastating loss of country, family, status? What is left when there is nothing left to lose? The death of hope can bring the hope of death, but what is it that keeps you choosing to put one foot in front of the other?"

The production, though a few times venturing dangerously near being too melodramatic, was an emotionally charged, no apology and take-no-prisoners performance. It is not a show for the faint of heart, with scenes like the poignant portrayal of Helen's defense of herself and plea to the other women or Cassandra's grief, rage, and ramblings after her rape; not to mention Hecuba's agonizing symphony of emotions as she processes all she has lost and what it means. What brought me to tears, repeatedly, though, was not those heart-wrenching scenes, but the aching loss of Andromache; who faces first the death of her beloved husband, then slavery and forced remarriage, and yet another ultimate loss after that. Her devastation was painfully real and profoundly touching.

The entire show takes place on one unchanging set, and it says a lot for the energy and versatility of the actors, as well as the power of Euripides' play, that the show keeps you so engaged for the full, intermissionless production. True to Taffety Punk Theatre Company style, there were a few scenes that included music and dancing, though not the happy musical kind; rather, the greatly aggrieved, pulled-from-the-very-depths emotional sort of movement that simply must come. What made much less sense were the costumes and the set itself, which puzzled me so much that they distracted me for at nearly 30 minutes before the emotions and dramatic content of the production finally rose above the noise of their incongruence for me.

It is definitely the sort of story that ought to be seen, and if anyone was to take this show on, I'm glad it was Taffety Punk's Riot Grrrls. The humanity and reality they bring to the drama was beautifully powerful and moving, and the piece is as timely as ever.

THE TROJAN WOMEN runs through Saturday, March 4, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, as well as Monday, February 20 at 8:00 PM. Saturday matinees begin at 2:30pm. Tickets are Taffety Punk's signature low price at only $15 and can be purchased here.

Photo by Teresa Castracane

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