Olivia Wormald

05/05/2016

Theatre is a product of its time but its themes and

issues are timeless
Discuss the play you have seen in performance in light of this statement,
compared to its OPC.

On 5th October, we saw Marina Carrs adaptation of the Greek tragedy

Hecuba by Euripides, at The Swan Theatre, RSC Stratford.
Both the modern re-write by Carr and original text contain themes that are
timeless throughout theatre and our lives and this production allowed me
as a modern day audience member to relate to the original. Carrs re-write
focussed especially on the theme of war and how it affects a society,
similar to that of the original but not looking at it from the victors side.
The production setting had been transported to what we would associate
with the modern Middle Eastern war setting, relating to the aftermath of
the Trojan war that is expressed in the original Euripides script. Although
in Carrs new text it was not expressed directly that the Middle East was
the setting, the set and design components influenced this idea. The set
by Soutra Gilmour comprised of a large mirrored triangular block with
black oil like mirrors which later fragmented, perhaps to represent the
falling apart of an old empire as Agamemnon sacrifices Polyxena. It
loomed over the stage like a mountain idea showing the continuity of war
and destruction from early Greek tragedy through to what we associate
with today. The mirror idea also presented the theme of reflection,
something which is not addressed in the original production. Another
aspect that pointed us towards the middle Eastern modern war setting
was the use of the choral singer. Carr highlighted the Segal hypothesis
that Euripides banished choral drama from the stage by only having one
chorus member. She created scene transitions by singing dramatic
passages in a foreign language, almost Arabic sounding with a drone
support addressing the idea of hardships as a prisoner of war. This was
portrayed in a way that I as a 21st century audience could relate to but
also the original production would have shown. However, it would not
have been seen in a sympathetic manner, more as a positive as the Greek
theatre was used as propaganda to show strength and so the prisoner of
war chorus idea would be more of a victory than sympathy.
Another issue which is timeless in both productions is the theme of death
and loss. In the climatic sacrificial scene, blood wasnt used but oil,
representing what we fight over in our wars today. Contrasting to the
original script, Carr made the character Agamemnon seem more relating,
something the original production would not have done. The war heroes
had to be worshipped and praised and theatre was used as propaganda to
show the Greek strength, theatre was used differently yet Carr shows how
an original idea can be modernised to be made timeless. In the modern
production a mockery is made of the idea that justice can be had for

Olivia Wormald

05/05/2016

killing a girl just to try and make the wind arrive. Agamemnon who is
scarred anyhow after having to sacrifice Iphigenia questions how he has to
then sacrifice Polyxena, Ray Fearon who played Agamemnon played him
with such reluctance as a character who is scarred by previous experience
and this made him seem more relatable looking deeper into the character
than the original production.
Carr contrasted the theme expressed that revenge led to justice and the
Athenian ideology of justice, instead focussing on the injustice of how we
are told these tales. In the final epilogue of the play, Cassandra dictates
that history is written by the winners of wars something expressed
throughout by Carrs adaptation of the text. She uses a specific style,
writing for characters in the third person having characters narrating each
others moves and their own through he said, I said. The cutting and
crossing of each others lines in 3rd person provided fast paced scenes and
cut out the need for the chorus or the role of the chorus. In a post-show
discussion, the actors commented that this allowed them to use the
audience as the chorus, you were allowed to see everything through
different views and therefore take your own interpretation. This combats
the original propaganda, Athenian ideology idea, yet also comments on us
as a modern day audience expressing the idea of media spin and how we
are influenced by what we see not the full picture. By including this
technique and idea, this challenged the barbaric revenge hungry
projection of Hecuba and allowed Derbhle Crotty to portray her as a
woman fallen from a high status, trying to regain some reputation of the
Trojan Queen.
The themes expressed in the original production are as universal today as
they would have been in the Greek dynasty, especially in such a military
dominant world. We see war through a lense just as the original
production projected Hecuba and Carr challenges this idea asking us as an
audience to find our own view point and not believe what we see. Carr
brings the timeless theme of war and injustice to a modern perspective
while keeping some of the original production issues, showcasing
Euripides classic text.