A Powerful and Talented Performance of Agamemnon by Aeschylus

Aeschylus’ Oresteia is the trilogy that sets the template for all other Greek tragedies – and, one could argue, for the rest of theatrical history.

First performed 2,500 years ago, the play’s themes of revenge, loyalty and thwarted love remain universal.

The story follows Agamemnon, leader of the Greek army in the Trojan War. When Helen, his brother’s wife, elopes with a Trojan prince, Agamemnon musters a Greek army to bring her back. However, the gods intervene. In order to placate them, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia. His wife – understandably narked by this decision – waits ten years before exacting a brutal and bloody revenge.

The colour palette of Mrs Cissone-Hunter’s intense and pared-down production was suitably bleak. A grey-clad chorus roamed the monochrome set, tense and watchful, waiting for the drama to explode.

And explode it certainly did, led by the extraordinarily powerful and mature performance of Faye P (G, U) as Clytemnestra. Furious, glamorous, sultry and often drunk, she managed to maintain the audience’s sympathy whilst horrifying us with her cold-hearted pursuit of revenge. The scene where she cuts out the tongue of Cassandra, Agamemnon’s slave-mistress, was met with genuine gasps as blood splattered across the stage. Cassandra was movingly played by Clara C-J (EDH, 5) whose wide-eyed innocence provided a poignant foil to Clytemnestra’s vindictive bloodlust.

In this new adaptation of the play, the focus of the action remains squarely on the women: the supposedly heroic Agamemnon has returned from war a shell of the king he once was. He was thoughtfully played by Henry Harrison (U, SH) as a tired and broken man, overshadowed by the tempestuous passion of his wife.

Much needed comic relief was provided by Ed D (S, 5) who played the watchman as a charmingly likeable geezer, very proud of his new high-viz jacket and besotted with the sassy Ianthe, Clytemnestra’s maidservant (Charlotte F, EDH, U).

The importance of the chorus in Greek tragedy can never be overlooked, and Mrs Cissone had created a brilliant cross-section of society to play the onlookers of the story. I particularly enjoyed the use of dance, with the ever-impressive Bethan R (EDH, L) and Will O’H (Ch, U) playing the alter-egos of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon.

Although far from festive, this was an extraordinarily mature and powerful performance, showcasing the talents of our Senior actors. Congratulations to all involved.

Director of Drama, Helen Brown