Euripides' Trojan Women is a powerful indictment of war, and Alfred Preisser, co-founder and artistic director of the Classical Theatre of Harlem, has decided to push it further in his contemporary adaptation by adding, according to production notes, "testimony from survivors of recent civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia." It's an excellent idea, and the chorus of women — mostly of African descent — relays the horrors of rape, torture, and murder to drive home the point that, across history, war maims and kills innocents.
Unfortunately, Preisser, who also directs, allows the women to work at a sustained fever pitch that robs the play of any nuance. If it weren't for the more mature Lizan Mitchell as Hecuba, the production would be an unmitigated frenzy of hysteria. By the time Talthybius (Michael Early) breaks up the passionate mob, we're glad to have a bit of order and sanity, but his flippancy also manages to counteract the negative reaction we should have toward his message of slavery and murder. Instead, Cassandra's (Tryphena Wade) madness is muted amongst the wails of the crowd.
The choice to set the play in "the ruins of a great civilization," which are made to resemble the wreckage of the original Penn Station in New York City, also confuses rather than aids the intended message. While Troy Hourie's set design does get the point across — all the action happens behind a chain-link fence, which the women hurl themselves against — what this has to do with wartime brutality is unclear. Plus, protected as we are by a barrier, we feel completely disconnected from the action. Or perhaps this is Preisser's ultimate message: We witness violence and destruction and do nothing to stop it. Even so, the production would be more successful if the layers of artifice were stripped away to allow the words to speak for themselves.
Presented by Harlem Stage and the Classical Theatre of Harlem as part of Under the Radar 2008 at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, 150 Convent Ave., NYC. Jan. 17-Feb. 10. Wed.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.