Agamemnon
Written by Aeschylus
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis (map)
thru Dec 6 | tix: $45-$65 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
“He who acts will suffer”
Court Theatre presents
Agamemnon
Review by Keith Glab
Aeschylus penned Agamemnon as the first of his Oresteia trilogy some 2,500 years ago. Court Theatre has fashioned its own trilogy surrounding King Agamemnon’s wife Clytemnestra with Aeschylus’ groundbreaking work following Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis and preceding Sophocles’ Electra.
The production opens with only a small light illuminating an impossibly high up Watchman (Gary Wingert), who spots a beacon indicating the fall of Troy. When the light eventually bleeds from this tiny portion of the stage, a classically majestic double door and grand staircase appear. The chorus proceeds to regale the young boy with tales of the Trojan War and Agamemnon’s murder of his daughter Iphigenia in an effort to win that war. What’s unclear is why these elders are so invested in detailing these graphic events to the boy, who seems lost by the whole tale.
Nevertheless, this device makes the discourse more conversational and accessible to a modern audience that might otherwise struggle to sit through 90 minutes of exposition. That effort then gets impeded by stoic performances from most of the characters. This is particularly true of Sandra Marquez‘ Clytemnestra, whose cold, nonchalant attitude towards her husband upon his return from a decade’s absence (with a concubine in tow) is a defensible interpretation of the character, but a less dramatically interesting one. The only characters who balance a captivating element of emotion with their technically sound performances are the minor character of the Herald (Gabriel Ruiz) and Aegisthus (Michael Pogue) who, while crucial to the story, enjoy very little stage time. The entire cast consistently uses indicative hand gestures that generally are charged with more emotion than their vocal delivery or facial expression betray.
With the characters seemingly less than fully invested in the story’s proceedings, it’s difficult for the audience to immerse themselves. Many enjoyable elements remain, including the impressive set, clever lighting, and Adrienne Walker‘s stunning singing voice. But even her song, beautiful as it is, gets delivered with minimal emotion.
While many modern audience members will still struggle to remain invested in such an exposition-heavy play, Court Theatre’s inventive staging gives the action-craving theatre-goer a better chance of enjoying this crucial classic than expected. Newell provides a strange balance of classic unfolding and idiosyncratic flair that will work for some and not for others.
Rating: ★★½
Agamemnon continues through December 6th at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis (map), with performances Wednesdays-Sundays. Tickets are $45-$65, and are available by phone (773-753-4472) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at CourtTheatre.org. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Brosilow
artists
cast
Thomas Cox (Chorus 2), Michael Ghantous (Boy), Sandra Marquez (Clytemnestra), Mark Montgomery (Agamemnon), Michael Pogue (Aegisthus), Gabriel Ruiz (Herald, Chorus 4), Adrienne Walker (Cassandra), Alfred Wilson (Chorus 1), Gary Wingert (Watchman, Chorus 3)
behind the scenes
Nicholas Rudall (translation), Charles Newell (director), Scott Davis (set design), Jacqueline Firkins (costume design), John Culbert (lighting design), Andre Pluess (sound design), Tracy Walsh (choreography), Amanda Weener-Frederick (stage manager), Michael Brosilow (photos)
15-1133
