Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Theater Review: The Age of Iron

Finn Whitrock and Dylan Moore
The Sands of Greece, the Face That Launched 1,000 Ships Come to Life
By Lauren Yarger
It’s all there: love, lust, hate, battles, the sands of ancient Greece and the heroes and villains of The Age of Iron, a story combining the works of William Shakespeare’s Troilus & Cressida and Thomas Heywood’s Iron Age playing Off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company.

Tightly directed by Brian Kulick on a sand-covered stage tented by Mark Wendland, the story follows beautiful, lusty Helen (Tina Benko), who leaves her Greek husband King Menelaus for the sexy Trojan prince Paris (Craig Baldwin) and launches a thousand ships in a war to bring her back home. Paris’ brother, Troilus (Finn Whitrock) has his own problems, as he must give up his own love, Cressida (Dylan Moore), forced to return to her father and the unwanted attentions of other men.

The tale goes as Greek tragedies do with many battles, intriguingly staged by Kulick. Standing out is Elliot Villar as Trojan warrior Hector. Shakespeare’s prose falls eloquently and beautifully from his lips. If he had stopped to recite a few of the Bard’s sonnets, there would have been mass swooning in the audience. He really is a treat.

Playing his wife, Andromache, is Xanthe Elbrick, who transforms into the beautifully gowned (Oana Botes-Ban, costume design) Trojan woman from a curiously cast cross-gender role as Patroclus, friend (and possible lover) of Achilles (Dion Mucciacito). Steven Rattazzi provides some needed comic relief as Thersites.

The show really is an engaging retelling of the story, and the addition of the Heywood material as a sort of prologue and epilogue adds depth.

The Age of Iron runs through Dec. 13 at Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th Street, NYC. Tickets are available by calling 212-677-4210

Christians might also like to know:
• Adultery
• Scantiliy-clad actors
• Cross-gender role

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.