What I liked
SO MUCH! I loved the entire vision of this piece, from the staging, the set design, to how the performers handled the props, changing the space, showing us what to care about. The last image of the ship as they sailed had my heart, the lighting design. All so powerful and done excellently, the minutest attentions to detail. Such versatility and elasticity in the minds of the director and creatives. The sound of the water, the sound of the water!! Such a small and subtle touch at the end, blew my creative mind.
What I didn't like
Greek tragedy is infamously hard to act/perform, these humans have gone through and are going through a certain type of hell, its difficult for us as people of westernized privilege to know how to embody the horrors of wars and the existence of a poverty that we, hopefully, will most likely never encounter. The trap with Greek text as a performer is convincing us you’re feeling. The give aways are in the audible chest breathing and extra tensions in the body. The need to show the pain. I felt Daphne Gabriel, Helen, was an exception to this and wielded the given circumstances so powerfully that one felt her entirely.
My overall impression
Incredible directing from Olivia Buntaine! A must see! Watching women take space and come to make noise like this is refreshing and necessary. Can’t wait to see what this team has coming up for the future!
