Dramatized
poetry or poetic theatre -- by whatever name, Ellen McLaughlin's exploration of a new twist on
the Helen of Troy story is mesmerizing thinking person's theatre. "Helen" has received a lovely
production at Next Theatre in Evanston.
In
this version of the Trojan War story, Menelaus's wife Helen is not dragged to
Troy by Paris but instead goes to Egypt to wait out the war while a "cloud
Helen" imposter takes her place. The human Helen spends 17 years waiting
in a luxury hotel room for her husband Menelaus to rescue her. Is this play
then tragic-comedy or the story of a woman coming into her own, slowly
developing her own voice and motivations, reaching beyond waiting to living her
own life? The play is an explicit exploration of the power of iconic beauty and
its effects and those who actually possess it and those who strive to possess
it through obsession, through stalking, through photographs. McLaughlin
contemplates the effects of celebrity culture through familiar mythical and
historical characters. In the end of course, this musing on the myth about the
origins of a war almost must be a commentary on the claimed roots of all wars.
An embarrassment of riches, theme-wise.
The
performances themselves hold many gems. Helen is a beauty by the standards of
any age as portrayed by Hollis McCarthy. Her voicing annoys at first, until we realize
that she is playing her own version of a role and has not, in essence, stood in
her own power, in her own voice. As the play proceeds, her voice and her
thoughts deepen and become more provocative to the listener. Her servant,
confidant, and feminist mentor (in effect teaching Helen to take control of her
own power) is underplayed beautifully by Diane Dorsey. The human Io, transformed to a
cow, and returned to human form, is played with humor and self effacement by Tasha
Anne James. Laura
T. Fisher plays
the goddess Athena who admits to her role in playing with Helen's life, placing
her in a spiritual and physical, pampered, Egyptian dead end holding tank. I
would love to see this actress take on "Mame" or any other big voiced
brassy larger than life character. The lone male in the company, Menelaus, is
given stalwart life by Jeff Still, who generates sympathy while representing the dim
hoards who are indeed blinded by beauty and befuddled by life's events.
This
play is not designed to be action packed and special effect filled, yet
director Andrea J. Dymond , scenic designer Keith Pitts, lighting designer Charles
Cooper, and
sound designer Victoria DeIorio have assembled moments of magic - sudden appearances and
smoky appearances and Trumpet Voluntary-like heralds.
McLaughlin
describes herself as a "language playwright". Yes indeed - she
provides layered thoughts and luscious language to thrill the theatre going
soul. McLaughlin has published "Helen" among her other treatment of
Greek characters in a 2005 book entitled "The Greek Plays". They are
not translations but original works inspired by the translations of others. She
is dramaturgically informed and spectacularly gifted. And we in the audience
are the ones who benefit.