TROJAN WOMEN
A Review by B.J. Patterson
The theater season is in full swing and, true to its legendary
reputation, the Goodman Theatre’s repertory offerings will linger in your
memory long after the last curtain call. One of the best of the season
is Seneca’s TROJAN WOMEN.
Staged by Goodman Manilow Director Mary Zimmerman, it
is appropriately described as a “chilling example of how violence leads
to violence and it is the powerless who will suffer the most.”
The 15-member cast led by Wendy Robie as Andromache; Rebecca
Jordan as Helen; Joe Dempsey and Cheryl Lynn Bruce is captivating. The
Goodman’s Owen Theatre stage is transformed to rubble depicting the day
after the fall of Troy. The men have been slaughtered and the women face
a hellish existence as Greek captives, slaves and concubines. But, Ulysses
and an unrelenting Pyrrhus require tribute for the death of Achilles: the
deaths of Polyxena (daughter of Hecuba and Priam) and six year old Astyanax
(son of Andromache and Hector)
Kyle Hall as Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, gives a performance
just short of diabolical. Wendy Robie’s performance as proud noblewoman,
Andromache, brought to her knees to beg for the life of her child is, in
a word, astonishing.
If Greek mythology is not your cup of tea, don’t worry.
The names may not drip off your tongue and you may never know why anyone
would name their son Paris, but -- from Hitler to Sadaam Hussein –- I believe
everyone understands the ugliness and brutal devastation of war.
Polyxena (Elizabeth Reiter) goes to be the doomed bride of Pyhrrus
as the messenger (Russell Hardin) and chorus
member (Cheryl Lynn Bruce) look on.
Photo: Liz Lauren
GOODMAN THEATRE CAPS 2002-2003 SEASON IN THE OWEN WITH SENECA’S “TROJAN
WOMEN,” DIRECTED BY MARY ZIMMERMAN
The Goodman Theatre caps its 2002-2003 season in the Owen with Seneca’s
classic tragedy, Trojan Women, in a production staged by Goodman Manilow
Director Mary Zimmerman. Zimmerman, who chose to direct this play
in November of 2002, calls it “a chilling example of how violence leads
to violence and it is the powerless who will suffer the most.” Corporate
Sponsorship Partner for Trojan Women is Freeborn & Peters. Additional
support provided by the Goodman Producer’s Circle.
Seneca’s Trojan Women opens the day after the Greeks have conquered
Troy. The city is in ruins, the men of Troy have been slaughtered,
and the city’s shrines have been defiled by the conquerors who spared no
one who sought refuge there. As the day dawns, the broken women of
Troy bemoan their fate as they wait to be taken to Greece as concubines
and slaves. But before the Greeks can sail, an even more terrible
price must be paid to assuage the ghost of the Greek warrior Achilles.
Featured in the 15-member cast for the Goodman’s production of Trojan
Women are (listed here in alphabetical order): Cheryl Lynn Bruce (Chorus);
Agustin Buñuel (Soldier); Nathan Davis (Old Servant); Joe Dempsey
(Ulysses); Laura T. Fisher (Chorus); Kyle Hall (Pyhrrus); Russell Hardin
(Talthybius/Messenger); Rebecca Jordan (Helen); Zachary Leipzig (Astyanax);
Liz Reiter (Polyxena); Wendy Robie (Andromache); Brad Stevens (Soldier);
Fred Stone (Agamemnon); Amy Warren (Chorus) and Ann Whitney (Hecuba).
The design team for Trojan Women includes two of her long-time collaborators,
Daniel Ostling (Sets), and Mara Blumenfeld (Costumes), and lighting by
John Culbert, who designed lighting for Zimmerman’s Goodman production
of Mirror of the Invisible World. Internationally renowned composer
Philip Glass, whose opera Galileo Galilei Mary Zimmerman staged at the
Goodman last season, will contribute to the production. Completing
the design team for Trojan Women at the Goodman is Andre Pluess (sound,
composer of additional music).
American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Goodman Theatre.
Kraft Foods is the Principal Sponsor of the free Student Subscription Series.
Allegiance Telecom, Inc. is the Official Internet Provider to the Goodman
Theatre.
The Goodman Theatre’s production of Trojan Women will appear in the
Goodman’s Owen Theatre Friday, April 4 through Sunday, May 4, 2003. Tickets
for Trojan Women are priced from $10 to $40 (see calendar below for specific
dates, times and prices). Tickets may be purchased at the Goodman
Theatre Box Office, 170 N. Dearborn Street, or charged by phoning (312)
443-3800 or online at www.goodman-theatre.org. Groups of 15 or more
call (312) 443-3820. Ask about Tix At Six for half-priced tickets
on the day of performance. For further ticket information, call (312)
443-3800.
