Troilus and Cressida
Shakespeare at his most philosophical, and irate. Goethe said, "If you would see Shakespeare's mind unfettered, read Troilus and Cressida." It's the Bard's take on Homer's Iliad, but the "heroes" on both sides are slimy, self-regarding thugs who bounce around the Dardan Plain like overinflated balloons. And Helen of Troy's a weapon of mass destruction, an excuse for conquest and nothing more. The love of the title characters doesn't just go wrong; it becomes the emblematic tale of infidelity. Goethe said "read" the play, not stage it. Troilus is a theatrical monster, demanding actors with muscular physicality and the chops to deliver some of the Bard's finest poetry. It last appeared in San Diego at the Old Globe in 1976. Aside from anything else, Compass Theatre deserves praise for attempting this epic task. Director Welton Jones and George Weinberg-Harter (who plays Pandarus and Agamemnon) have done a smart job of trimming a script that's literature when read but that waxes verbose when performed. The opening night, however, ranged from amateurish reciting to odd emphases to sprints through the poetry (if you get to speak the lines "when time is old and hath forgot itself/ When waterdrops have worn the stones of Troy," PLEASE don't mumble them at top speed to the floor!). Most of the cast (nine actors playing over 25 parts) had yet to internalize their roles. And the better performances - Michael Nieto as Aeneas and Ulysses, Adam Parker as Paris and a drooling Thersites - exposed the others' weaknesses. The Compass production may, or may not, grow during its run. But then again, if the "past is prologue" for what's to come, this may be your only chance to see a Troilus in San Diego for the next 32 years.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, October 5, 2008
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 8pm |