Review: The Trojan Women (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️

From recent productions of Medea to a pair of upcoming versions of Oedipus, Greek Tragedy is alive and well in the 2020s, profiting from our ever-fraught political landscape and modern life’s increasingly politicised nature. Springboard, a training programme for young theatre artists at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, lean sharply into contemporary politics in this new adaptation of Euripides’ The Trojan Women, presented by the youth-oriented Bill Cashmore Award.

With a new script by Dipo Baruwa-Etti, this Trojan Woman transposes the action from war-torn Troy to a local food bank, where councillor Hettie does her best to aid her community while recognising her lack of real power. Prince Minister Merlin and his MP wife, Helen, have shown little regard for the less affluent communities, with Helen having moved away from her own so-called community and appearing only to treat the food bank recipients as a photo op. The story is divided between the bank itself, and meetings of MP’s who feel free in their private sanctums to openly dismiss the plight of those in need.

Burawa-Etti’s script is ambitious in its scope, particularly given the 75-minute runtime for this Lyric Studio production. Satire is deliberately blunt and in-your-face, there being no time to subtly suggest malice or ineptitude in the higher-ups, with MP’s ending meetings with villainous cackles and their outright stating that those in need are too few to matter. Certain components of Euripides’ original work fit awkwardly here, such as Cassie (the mythical Cassandra, made modern) having visions of the future in what is largely a piece set in a familiar reality, and these premonitions only questioned by online activist Tallon.

Still, the pacing is solid throughout, keeping a momentum that never drops and keeps the show from lingering too long on one scene, or overselling a point. There is a poetic quality to the writing, particularly where a rhyming structure becomes more evident in longer sequences of dialogue, though this is either absent or more subtle elsewhere – however, where it does become apparent it helps keep a firm rhythm to conversations and monologues alike. There's also a plainspokenness between the non-MP characters, helping to fill in lengthy and mostly (we assume) friendly relationships between them without the need for endless rehashing of unseen pasts.

The cast, young performers in their late teens and early 20s, all throw themselves gamely into the work, showing a clear understanding of the themes at play, though some certainly have a more natural presence on stage. While Zamir Mesiti’s gifts for selling Tallon’s continuous frustration and desperation to have his and his community’s voices heard, Jade Khan’s Hettie doesn't reach an emotional peak until much later in the production, when her descent into despair provides a crescendo in her performance. Áine McNamara, as volunteer Riley, also comes into her own further into the work, but unfortunately the cast’s restraint does make for less compelling early scenes.

Definite standouts come in the form of Merlin and Helen themselves, a faux-unknowing Samuel Glyde-Rees and a deliciously cruel Jessica Rose Saunders. His underlying callousness, carefully concealed until called out by the volunteers, and her more brazen lack of concern for the working class are played beautifully, making it seem such a shame that Saunders in particular is absent for much of the performance. Other actors come alive when playing off this duo’s entitlement and disconnection, and I personally would have liked to see the interactions begin much sooner, even indirectly,

Roberta Zuric’s direction makes a clever use of Dada Kim's necessarily simple design of the black-box space. Where Kim has a platform raised above the stage to allow for a second level on which to perform, Zuric never allows those from the food bank to ascend the steps. A firm piece of visual storytelling, Zuric has those in power stand above the communities themselves, making decisions about their welfare while showing an unwillingness to, literally, meet them at their level. This choice is further highlighted by the cartoonish, over-the-top mannerisms cast members exhibit when playing these more powerful roles – these are not everyday people who happen to have reached a seat of power, but ludicrous villains whose disconnect from reality fuels their ability to be cruel, heartless, and frankly unknowing of what goes on in the lives of so many of their constituents.

Alternately clumsy and effective, The Trojan Women does a fine job of updating Euripedes’ themes to modern-day Britain, but with its reduced runtime could stand to refocus and launch more directly into the meat of the story. A great showcase for young talent and for their politically minded creativity, The Trojan Women may have its imperfections, but it's certainly proof that a programme like Springboard, which offers free part-time training in the performing arts, is more than worthy of support.

The Trojan Women played at the Lyric Hammersmith Studio September 25th to September 28th

For more information on Springboard, the Lyric Hammersmith’s free training programme for young performers, visit https://lyric.co.uk/young-lyric/springboard/

For more information of The Bill Cashmore Award, which supports young artists in their creative endeavours, visit https://lyric.co.uk/young-lyric/talent-development/the-bill-cashmore-award/

Photos by Genevieve Girling