Women of Troy is a Greek tragedy by Euripides set just after the sacking of Troy by the conquering Greek army and this play shows how they treat the mourning women of Troy. This production portrays the play set in 1945 Berlin as the Russians (the Greeks) have defeated the Germans (the Trojans).
The play had many subtle touches such as the Gods Poseidon and Athena dressed as generals of the two armies. Also, ghosts of the dead soldiers dancing with their captured wives and girlfriends, and all this was maximised by the lighting which cast ominous shadows and was particularly affective when in the opening scene the light focused just on the door when the captured women enter through. The sounds of destruction and the city itself falling to pieces timed in synch with the dances of the women. The singing of the women was original and beautiful.
My favourite parts were the disturbingly crazy Cassandra, the well acted part of Talthybius and the emotionally destroyed Hecuba and the whole cast spoke well and acted especially the dances and movements of the men and women of Troy. The play was very emotional and full of very poignant parts and keeps very closely to the time period and conjures up the idea of the destroyed city and the trauma of the women at the hands of the coldly clinical Greeks.
Freddie Vint (BH Sh)