Review of Tallulah Knowles and Sav Sood’s Troy Story: Age of the Hero

What is a hero? It is perhaps the ultimate question and certainly to a modern mind the actions of the great Achilles are far from heroic. We want heroes to be selfless and noble and ready to die for a cause and yet this was never what The Iliad was about. The Iliad was a story of pride and pain and the musical Troy Story focussed in on these themes, pulling them apart and highlighting the love stories that lie at the heart of any war story. Ultimately this is a tragedy and the play reminded us this through haunting songs such as the one from whose lyrics I drew the title. As an audience we saw the tale traced from the apple at Thetis’ wedding right through to the death of Hector at Achilles’ hand and were relayed the ending verbally. While the first half was a perfect build up to the battle scenes of the second half, this does not mean to say that it was in any way slow, confusing or superfluous. This was a musical which put a lot of thought into the portrayal of a classical story with such a large ensemble cast.

A large cast can draw our eyes in so many directions that certain characters can be neglected even while upon the stage, yet this was certainly not the case. With the tales of both the Trojans and the Greeks unfolding at once, there could perhaps be the concern that one nation (or group of characters) would have more attention that the other. However, both of the main storylines were given equal attention, both Achilles’ and Hector’s stories felt treated with equal commitment. The character of Achilles is a brat, there is no denying that, and yet the character can be drawn with so much more depth than this. In recent years we have been treated to a deluge of Greek retellings, many of which attempted to paint Achilles in a different light. In this case, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus was brought into its gay glory. To see the character of Achilles portrayed by the quiet and unassuming Jak Spencer was nothing short of a pleasure. The performance was emotional, powerful and highly skilled, proving why the actor was undoubtedly a perfect casting choice. Achilles’ counterpart, his lover, Patroclus was if I may be so cruel as to use the term a bit of a wet lettuce. Yet, to say that the character was the merely a parallel to Achilles’ quick anger would be a disservice to the creation and portrayal of this iteration of Patroclus. He was created as the sweet and ever dependable element of the relationship, but with the decision to add a fair smattering of abusive language into the characters’ relationship probably argues against my earlier statement that the character was weak. While the portrayal wasn’t as strong as Spencer’s, it was far from weak.

On the other side of the battle lines, Hector fought not only for a city that he loved but also for the approval of a father who did not admit to how much he loved him until he was dead. Gillian Konko’s performance of this classically heroic figure complimented Achilles’ quick temper while still very much being his equal. This casting decision was one of a few characters who were not the genders that they are typically represented by. It led to a far from straightforward representation of the characters and the ability to explore over worked figures from new angles. In the case of Konko, this was a strength rather than an inhibiting factor. The character was handled masterfully, at once gentle, tough, strong, insecure and always true to his beliefs. The hidden support in Hector’s life was of course Andromache, played by the lovely Erin Malinowski. The emotional rollercoaster of the character must have been a challenge to portray, but Erin rose as bravely to the challenge as Andromache did to the challenge of being Hector’s wife. There were some wonderfully sweet interactions between the two, Andromache never quite taking seriously Hector’s frustration towards Paris. Before moving on to the one who started it all, I must finally mention the tangible chemistry between the cast which were reflected particularly in the intimate moments between cast members. I have always been of the opinion that on stage kissing suggests a great confidence on the part of the actors and these frequent interactions were both smooth and natural.

Now, on to the trouble maker in the eyes of the classical writers and his unhappy wife. Paris was portrayed in such a way that I think is best described as a puppy. The actor bounded onto stage, reflecting both the enthusiasm and cowardice of the character. The ridiculousness of the character was highlighted by the contrast not only with Hector, but also Maya Sankaran’s Helen and the goddesses who were perhaps responsible. Of the three that made an appearance it was Stazi Towers’ Aphrodite who stood out. Towers played the role with a flirtatious nature that was instantly dislikeable, drawing into sharp relief the reality of the classical gods and their attitudes towards mortals. On the other side of the battle lines of the mortals, Dan Savage’s Agamemnon with his well portrayed self obsession was perfect comedy value – especially in the moments when his authority was undermined by eyerolls and jokes behind his back. Such jokes came from Leah O’Grady’s Odysseus and Sam Harper’s Diomedes, the double act of smart and strong. Diomedes was certainly portrayed as having more interest in fighting than thinking, well… except for the comic relief provided by the character’s obsession with horses, which was equally a wonderful piece of dramatic irony given the eventual winning of the war. Both actors played the roles with strength, working as well with the visible scenes as with the mimes and freeze frames that enabled a paralleling of the action in both war camps.

Keble’s O’Reilly theatre can be a challenging space to work with given its size, but the use of the stage was in fact excellent in all respects. However, Patroclus appearing upon the top of the stairs was certainly an unexpected surprise. While this was an excellent idea in theory, it unfortunately challenged the audience’s ability to properly watch the emotional interaction between Achilles and the spirit of Patroclus. There was initial neck craning in order to see the actor and a subsequent almost comical flicking backwards and forwards in order to view the participants of the conversation. Unfortunately, before the poignant moment had come to an end the audience had ceased to watch the actor behind them, leaving Alex Rawnsley’s performance unappreciated. Despite this, on the whole, the use of space, music and chronology was skilfully deliberated. The use of projection and voice over added a further storytelling element, while the higher element of the stage from which the gods and dead observed a clever idea. To begin with Patroclus and Achilles during the war as a form of prologue was a stroke of genius that instantly drew the audience into the action before beginning to handle the denser elements of the text. The opening of Act 2 was equally strong, the songs adding depth to an already well written play. There was a sense of unity between the actors and musicians, as the band were placed on the stage surrounded by miniature Corinthian columns. This unity was a perfect reflection of the seamless connection between the elements of the play, the modern and the classical.

Ultimately, this was an excellent performance with a well thought out script, detailed character development and strong acting. At no moment did my Classics education rebel against the portrayal of the story, in fact the whole musical was a perfectly adapted version of Homer’s epic from the presence of the gods to the sensitively handled relationships. The songs were as well written as the fights were cleverly choreographed and the direction almost perfect. With an ensemble cast there could so easily have been a weak link, yet the actors stepped into these roles from antiquity with confidence.