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Trojan Women: UT's production offers plenty of style, not enough substance
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In theater these days, “adaptation” has almost become a four-letter word, and it’s rather easy to see why. Many times a company will try their best to make a classic story hip, cool, and modern, and in the process completely lose the heart of the piece. Sadly, this is the trap University of Texas has fallen into with their latest production of Euripides’s classic, The Trojan Women, throwing everything from pre-recorded video to song and dance numbers at the audience, doing everything they can to keep the audience’s attention away from the fact that what they’re watching has lost a bit of resemblance to the Greek tragedy. There are some bright spots in terms of the acting and some set design, but it’s only enough to take it from poor into the land of mediocre.
In truth, all the pieces are there. Cassandra is still a nutcase, Hecuba is still suffering, Meneleus is still far too proud for his own good, but somehow the pieces just don’t fit together as well as they should. So many changes were done to characterization, to diction, that it just becomes off-putting. The injecting of modern language into a play such as this would have been fine in moderation, but when you have gods and goddesses shouting curse words at each other, it just seems so wrong. Fault should not be laid on the actors here, since most of them performed admirably, but all the flash and dazzle took away from any emotion that could have been wrenched from these characters. After all, it’s difficult to take your pain seriously when you’re pulling out a microphone stand and singing a rock-and-roll number, no matter how moving said song may be. Despite some very fine acting, there were a few weak links, especially with Lesley Gurule’s Andromache, whose overbearing drunkenness makes it hard for one to sympathize with, even as her child is being put to death. There were some 
definite stand-outs, and Katie DeBuys shows real talent as Hecuba, allowing us to get sucked into her world of pain and sorrow, despite all the shiny toys that surround the production. One unexpected stand out came from Marlane Barnes, who may just be playing a member of the chorus, but whose wide-eyed innocence and breathtaking voice saves many of the musical numbers from becoming too tedious.
One benefit of this re-imagining is that we get to see much more of Xochitl Romero’s fantastic performance as Athena, with the writers extending her part to encompass the entire first half of the production, where in Euripides' play her part is relegated to a short prelude. With a slight grimace or twitch, Romero says more about the sorrow of these women than all the grand-standing and soliloquying of the other actresses could. Another plus is that the way the set is designed, pieces actually function within the play. Rocks and pipes that are scattered around the discarded rubble of the house are later used as devices to torment other characters later in the production, and even the discarded television are put to use at one point.
Theater is all about choices, and there should be a reason for every single decision the dramatic team makes. Does Trojan Women really need a dance number in the middle of the play, does it need video playback, does it need a Helen of Troy striptease, does it need cussing gods, or even a fog machine? The true classics should be able to stand on their own, even with the most minimal of special effects 
and sets, something that I hope University of Texas keeps in mind with their next production. Despite all this, it was a very original take on the story, one which audiences are sure to never see the likes of again, so if you’re in the mood for a truly unique theatrical experience, take the trip down to the Brockett Theater, just leave any knowledge of the actual play at the door, lest you leave disappointed.
Pictures courtesy of J. Elissa Marshall.
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