Say it in English, French, or Greek: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The adage threads through Fragment, the schoolbook exercise at Classic Stage Company. Assembled by Kelly Copper from roughly 5,000 fragments of lost plays by Sophocles and Euripides, the 75-minute work is inert but unsettling.
In Greek theatre, three actors took the leading roles, with a chorus to represent crowds of townspeople. At CSC, the three are Juliana Francis, Zachary Oberzan, and Tony Torn. The chorus is the audience, sitting on two sides of the rectangular playing area, silent observers cut off from a hostile outside world.
Under Pavol Liska's straightforward direction, the actors emerge from the audience to speak in a sometimes expressionless monotone. Although they throw in moments of emotion, the style brings a certain formality and antiquity to these texts. The connective tissue between then and now is emphasized, and a tale of a city under siege unravels.
Obviously, the parallel is to New York and 9/11. Just as obviously, the answer to travail is not with the gods but elsewhere. "No mortal was born who does not suffer," says Torn, the voluptuary. "One must find a way of healing," says Oberzan, the arbitrator. "Some action must be taken," says Francis, the insurgent.
Peter Nigrini's minimal set (two tables laden with food and wine) and Oana Botez-Ban's informal costumes set the tone of casual despair. It's Tim Cryan's lighting and Kristin Worrall's sound that suggest that death and destruction reign outside these walls.
Tapping into New Yorkers' continuing fear and paranoia, Fragment offers a Hobson's choice of reactions, none of which work. "May it go well for me," says Oberzan. From what we see here, it won't.
Presented by and at Classic Stage Company,
136 E. 13th St., NYC.
March 26-April 9. Tue.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com.