Date Published: Wednesday, 24 June 09
| Author: Alyssa Best
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| 2 years, 7 months ago
There are no greater storytellers than the Ancient Greeks. We thrive in their illustration of the human context; spoken teachings that enshroud an audience yearning for the portrayal of their individual struggles amidst the wonder of a mystical world. Drawn to the question of cause and effect. I sat back as the words of Greek masters were brought to Belconnen’s stage.
On this night it was Aeschylus’ masterpiece Agamemnon that played to the willing. The first of the Oresteia trilogy, Agamemnon is a complex and delving tale, mystically adapted by local award winning playwright Rachel Hogan. She artfully teases out themes of ritual, of waiting, and of the unrelenting power of the Gods.
Looking beyond the classic tale of Troy, the audience is taken back across the Aegean to Argos, Agamemnon’s kingdom, where his Queen Clytmenestra awaits his return. It is in this setting that we are faced with the idea that “there is always a God, always a reason, and always a choice.”
The play opens with an eerie setting, the mask of Agamemnon adorning three black robed figures that draw the audience in to the ritualistic journey about to be played out before them. Six of Canberra’s talented performers bring to life the intricate relationship between humans and the Gods. Clytmenestra’s vivid monologues on the struggles of time, love and the will of the Gods build to an inevitably blood riddled climax. Both she and the audience are guided through the tale by an old ‘wise-woman’, who replaces Aeschylus’ original chorus of old men as the voice of the plays complexities and teachings.
Scenes beat to the tribal compositions of Ian Wood and Alex Johnson, who challenge the audience’s conception of their own surroundings through the masterful combination of the didgeridoo and strings. This impressive backdrop is accompanied by the ethereal voice and dance of Jaimie Isfahani, weaving the thread of tragic beauty throughout.
“Time feeds the fire of a poet”, indeed the audience would agree. From the enthralling turmoil of Clytmenestra’s mind to the omnipresent Gods, hovering like a shadow over the stage, this classic tragedy leaves the fire burning to escape our souls.
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