Review
by Karen Ahn for Urban View,
published July 3, 2001
Orestes'
Development
The
Shotgun Players presents Euripides' "Iphigenia in Aulis".
By Karen Ahn
Pity the poor Greek
father. Agamemnon, commander of the Greek Fleet, cannot
attack Troy due to ill conditions. The local oracle tells him that to
command a fair wind for the Greek ships he must sacrifice his daughter
Iphigenia. Geez - I know I will never complain about the Bay Bridge
toll
again.
"Iphigenia
in Aulis," presented by the Shotgun Players at John Hinkel Park,
begins wonderfully and improves steadily. The prologue, a deftly worked
piece of slapstick with Preston Sturges timing, acquaints us with the
cycle
of incest, fratricide, and cannibalism that leads us to Agamemnon's
situation, set during the Trojan War. The consuming tragedy of what
follows
is all the more chilling. Written half a century after Aeschylus' "The
Oresteia," Euripides' "Iphigenia" is the prelude that
sets all the wheels of
revenge, tragedy, and killing in motion. (In "The Oresteia,"
Agamemnon
returns home only to be murdered by his wife in revenge for Iphigenia's
death; later, their son Orestes murders his mother to avenge his father.)
Torn between his
country and his family, Agamemnon varies between bombast
and blunder as he firsts sends for his wife, Clytemnestra, and Iphigenia
under the guise of the latter's marriage to Achilles, and then changes
his
mind, only to have Menelaus, Helen's husband, commandeer his orders.
In the dual role
of Agamemnon/Achilles, Jeff Elam is uneven. As Agamemnon,
he seems filled with harried anxiety rather than the gravitas his terrible
decision should inspire. He can also fall into the dreaded Helen Hunt
school
of eyebrow emoting, using forehead manipulation as a substitute for
realized
emotion. As Achilles, however, he shines, playing the famed warrior's
braggadocio with a comic, brassy edge, while palpably demonstrating
the
courage that made Achilles the most feared warrior of his time.
As Clytemnestra
(and Menelaus), Mary Eaton Fairfield is the emotional heart
of the play, even more so than Iphigenia. Her wonderfully calibrated
voice
and full-throttled emotion communicate to the farthest row of the
amphitheater the terror and anger of a mother faced with the unacceptable.
The production's pacing and impact pick up noticeably whenever she is
onstage, which is, fortunately, most of the time. During the climactic
final
moments of the play, even the birds and barking dogs in John Hinkel
park
seem to go quiet when she speaks. Amaya Alonso Hallifax as Iphigenia
is the
embodiment of pure-hearted bravery. With a Romanesque face and sweet
solemnity, she moves believably from terror at the impossible to acceptance
of the improbable. The staging of the last few minutes of the play did
sort
of make me feel as if we had a case of theater interruptus, since many
of
the actor's speeches were delivered to the back of the stage rather
than at
the audience.
The orgiastic beauty
and terror of ancient Greek life are well communicated
by the chorus/dancers. The simple costumes and music emphasize the stark
themes of the play. Achilles says to Iphigenia, "You make a virtue
out of
necessity." Working on a shoestring budget but with some virtuoso
talent,
that could well be the theme of the Shotgun Players' production as well.
-Karen Ahn
Karen Ahn is a freelance
writer in the Bay Area. Contact her at
karenahn@earthlink.net.
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