Euripides' "The Trojan Women," often called the greatest anti-war play ever written, was in its own day a topical drama: a thinly veiled exposé of Athens' unprovoked imperialist invasion of the neutral island of Delos, in which the male population was exterminated and the women and children sold into slavery. It's therefore reasonable that Charles Duncombe's radical rethinking of the material conflates the Trojan War with other recent conflicts, massacres, and genocides—including Kosovo, Vietnam, Darfur, the Gulf wars, etc. Duncombe also tackles many other issues—perhaps too many—related and unrelated. He includes a philosophic exegesis on contemporary tabloid and celebrity culture, the brutality of men at war and the suffering of women, the decline of reading, and the dangers of the Internet, among other topics.
Consequently, his text and director Frederique Michel's often-admirable production sometimes seem to be moving on separate tracks. Most of her actors are frequently immobilized while one of their number pontificates and editorializes from the sidelines. This approach emphasizes contemporary relevance, but it also distances the material and dilutes its impact.
Michel's production is handsome, stylized—each chorus member wears one long, elegant, red satin glove—and frequently abstract, though the sequence describing the fall of Troy is vivid and violent. The production is skillfully and beautifully executed, with fine performances by the large cast. June Carryl, costumed as an African queen, lends to Hecuba enormous dignity, eloquence, and passion. In the hands of Alisha Nichols, Helen of Troy becomes a sort of Greek Lindsay Lohan, drunk on her own beauty and fame. Troy Dunn makes Talthybius into an arrogant, cynical stand-in for wily Odysseus, while Michael Galvin renders Menelaus as a tough, no-nonsense Brit who's nevertheless a sucker for Helen's charm. Amelia Rose depicts Andromache as a fragile madwoman, who sinks into insanity to avoid acknowledging the cruel death of her husband and son. Mariko Oka's Cassandra is an avenging angel, eager to bring destruction to the Greek invaders. Crystal Sershen, Cynthia Mance, Maria Christina Benthall, and Reha Zamani make up the effective chorus of Athenian women. Dave Mack, David E. Frank, Garth Whitten, and Kenneth Rudnicki prove their versatility by playing multiple supporting roles.
Ultimately, this is an interesting and impressive production. But a more visceral, less prolix approach might have allowed us to feel the events as well as contemplate them. Note: The production contains brief but graphic nudity.
Presented by and at City Garage, 1340-1/2 Fourth St. Alley, Santa Monica. Nov. 6–Feb. 21, 2010. Fri.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5:30 p.m. (Dark Dec. 14–Jan. 8). (310) 319-9939. www.citygarage.org.