UPTOWNflavor

I recently had the honor of watching Trojan Woman at the Gatehouse. While this is a review of the play itself I will say that I am still not over how beautiful the Harlem Stage facility is. Elsewhere I mentioned that Harlem Stage is harlem’s own symphony space in that it provides a one-stop-shop for all your arts cravings…dance, film, stage,discussion forum,etc. I sincerely hope no one takes that for granted.

I think that one of the most beautiful things about the Classical Theatre of Harlem is their ability to always bring a modern flare of interpretation to plays that might otherwise lose relevance with the the run-of-the-mill MTV and 106th & Park crowd, an exponentially increasing and covetted demographic. What i mean is that unless you’re a fan of classical greek plays there will apparently be little one can relate to when watching a rendition of Oedipus. What CTH does is that it makes these classics more accessible to people from all age groups and racial backgrounds without disturbing the foundation of the masterpiece itself. It manages to innovate without removing the soul of the story-that connection point in all of us when watching a good story unfolding on stage.

The story itself takes place after the Trojan War. Princess Helen of Troy has been recaptured after her lustful tryst with Paris which brought about a legendary war between Troy and Sparta. Also enslaved are a group of spartan women who one by one begin to speak of their personal tragedies following the trojan conquest. The beauty of their diaogue is that it is taken word for word from actual testimonies of women survivors from wars in Sierra Leone, Iraq, and Somalia. I have to admit that I had not known this piece of information before watching the show. I am somewhat glad that I didn’t know this. It gave provided me a blank page upon which these raw words of emotions could be impressed. The women themselves come from different walks of life. Among them are the Queen of Sparta (who gives a chillingly powerful performance), a virgin priestess, the wife of Prince Hector of Sparta. All these women who once enjoyed a blissful life have suffered multiple rapes, cutting off of limbs, and witnessed the murders of their family members in cold blood. They point to Helen of Troy as the sole reason they are in such a wretched condition. Helen is played by Zainab Jah, who I witnesed for the first time in the production of Elektra at HSA. Her moonlit eyes, slim figure, and seductress voice are a perfect recipe for the woman who for all intents and purposes caused a cataclismic clash between these two greek powers. What unfolds is a chilling account of the value of human life during time of war.

One of the modern quirks to this performance is the character of Talthybyus, a greek herald for the “winning team”, who has come to inform the women that they are being shipped away to new masters. It is this character that attemps to balance with dry humor the tragic situation the women find themselves in. He comes across as a frustrated Human Resources administrator in the way he tries to explain to the women in corporate jargon the futures that await them at the hands of their new slave owners. This move may be a hit or miss with some audience members given the gravity of the theme but I think that it lightens the air a bit between the somber monologues delivered by these women of Troy.

The performance is running through February 10th. It has also been included as part of the Under the Radar festival which tries to bring awareness to an array of different plays all over the city. Up until January 20th, tickets for Trojan Women is just $25 if you mention code “UTR” or “under the radar”. For info check out the Under the Radar page or Harlem Stage website.