A very powerful retelling of the story of Philomela. This is difficult to watch because you know the women's stories are real and they are still happening.
Tara Rosling is great as Philomela. She ages from young innocent girl to victim and venge taker over the course of the play, and never slips out of character.
Phillipa Domville as her sister Procne is also excellent.
David Fox as King Pandion, thier father,is the archtype of the men who don't want to see what is really going on and who justify their actions in the name of national security.
Geoff Pounsett as King Tereus gives an excellent performance as the man who commits unspeakable acts and then claims it wasn't really his fault, as his blood made him do it.
The chorus of slave women spoke for all women who have been raped, for whatever reason, but most importantly for women raped as an act of war.
Erin Shields is definitely a playwrite worth watching.
I wasn't a fan of Tara Rosling at Shaw originally, but I have come around. She has been very good in recent stuff.
ReplyDeleteDomville and Pounsett were also good, the latter particularly in an uncomfortable role. I don't remember either of them from Tarragon, but I'll watch for them in the future.
The staging of the play was very simple, but very effective - it shows you don't need to spend a fortune to stage effectively.