• The Greek Connection
• Article by Nives Hajdin on January 25, 2010
• 

  The captive Trojan prince is condemned to death unless Andromache yields (Kelsey Goldberg, Melanie Hrymak, Philippe Jullian, Brittany Kay, Darren Turner). James W. Smagata photo

  Take a French play that is set in Greece, translate it into English, et voila! Theatre Erindales production of Andromache is the resulting dramatic fusion, a 17th century tragedy of pride, passion and jealousy by the French playwright Jean Racine. Though an English rendition of the play is quite uncommon, Richard Wilburs translation is greatly construed and made all the more eloquent by the incorporation of rhyming couplets throughout many of the long, yet essential monologues within the play.

  Directed by Patrick Young, the story unfolds over the course of a single day in the palace of King Pyrrhus (Darren Turner), whose status as the son of Achilles has lost him favour with the Trojans, most notably with Andromache (Melanie Hrymak). Andromaches husband, the Trojan hero Hector, was killed by Achilles in the Trojan War. Fuelled with a bitter distaste for Pyrrhus, Andromache is taken captive by the king, along with the widows son and new prince of Troy, Astyanax (Brittany Kay). It becomes the responsibility of Orestes, ambassador of the Greeks (Andrew Tribe), to convince Pyrrhus to set Astyanax free, yet Orestes must also balance these efforts with his desired courtship of Hermione (Juel Hughes). Despite Orestes feelings for her, Hermione is betrothed to Pyrrhus, but upon word that Andromache will wed Pyrrhus instead (on the condition that he releases her son), Hermiones raging jealousy is unleashed and she easily manipulates Orestes to do her bidding. Resulting tragedy ensues from unlikely places, and the plays closing moments are the most surprising of all.

  Comprised of fourth year students (with the exception of Adam Cresswell, a recurring second-year student whose season debuted with Widows, and second-year newcomers Brittany Kay and Jake Maric), the ensemble was much smaller than Theatre Erindales usual cast list and allowed greater individual command of the stage by the actors and actresses. Darren Turner stood out as the stricken king who is hated by the majority of his subjects, but also conveyed the forceful nature of Pyrrhus in his ultimate resolve to have Astyanax killed, should Andromache fail to comply. Pyrrhus sometimes meandering thoughts were greatly contrasted with the unwavering tenacity of his mentor, Phoenix, played by Philippe Jullian. Jullians firm disposition as the Kings advisor was perfectly executed, as his line delivery was both natural and aptly humorous in reaction to Pyrrhus thought processes.

  Though the plays eponymous hero, the role of Andromache, was not as central as some of the other characters, Melanie Hrymak still interpreted and performed the part with such conviction that her performance outshone the character she was portraying. Strong-willed and unafraid to take her own life, Hrymaks performance as Andromache was played with a similar vigour as Juel Hughes portrayal of Hermione. Extremely animated yet daunting when necessary, Hughes encapsulated the torment felt as a result of betrayed love. She conveyed this anguish extremely well: to the audience, who found humour in her wishy-washy rationalization that a womans angry words belie her true feelings, as well as to Orestes, whose inability to comprehend her indecisiveness led to his eventual madness.

  Showing a complete transformation of his character over the course of five acts, Andrew Tribes performance as Orestes was one of the plays greatest performances, if not the best of all. In addition to being responsible for a large chunk of the plays dialogue, Tribe internalized the text with such skill that the resulting speeches he gave were very natural and believable, and were aided by his emotiveness and overall immersion in his complicated character.

  Though the performances were more or less on point, the overall static nature of the plot was hard to ignore, as much of the plays conflict was relayed in words rather than in actions. Despite this, certain scenes incorporated historical dancing and music, which served to break the stagnant interaction, and the climactic ending moments of the play certainly made up in excitement. Another of the plays minor falters was that the verse became too contemporary on a few occasions, in that the actors and actresses contracted words or emphasized them in a way that was more colloquial than the expected formal speech of regal figures. Yet, one must not forget just how difficult the execution of such an abundance of text must have been for the cast, and their hard work in the mastery of the difficult verse must be applauded.

  Andromache is indeed a departure from Theatre Erindales more contemporary productions, and though not as strong as this seasons past performances, many intriguing elements still exist within it and will be sure to jolt a surprise or two at the very end. Andromache runs at Theatre Erindale until January 30. Visit www.theatreerindale.com for tickets, which range from $9-$14.

Tags: Review, students, Theatre Erindale, UTM, Volume 36-Issue 15

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