“'Whatever you dream,' Poseidon (Thomas Muccioli) says, 'even the most horrifying dream cannot be worse than what you will awake to.' The production seems, in a way, to heed his counsel. There’s a hollow, anesthetized quality to the performance, and it’s a hindrance...The primary impression this production leaves is that the depth of the characters’ suffering is foreign to these artists — even as stories of urban dwellers racked by war come to us in the news every day."
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"The pained clarity and blunt poetry of McLaughlin’s text retain some power even when delivered in a horse of wooden acting. With few exceptions—such as Wortmann as Andromache—the young actors of the Bats, under Haney’s earnest direction, lack the gravitas to pull off this material, and the intimacy of the Flea’s tiny basement theater is unmerciful. They give it the old college try, but the result, alas, too often evokes college theater."
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"A solid and vibrantly acted production...One of the problems with more traditional presentations of 'The Trojan Women' is that Hecuba can often come off as a bottomless vessel of misery, pouring her self-pity all over the stage to the point where it barely registers. McLaughlin mitigates this by refocusing attention on the other women...Choreographer Powell attempts to bring a sense of ritual to the stage, but it often feels like a massive distraction from otherwise earthy performances."
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"Under Anne Cecelia Haney's measured, yet relentless, direction, the play's implacable march to a place where hope no longer exists remains steadily engrossing and often powerfully affecting. Working with The Bats, she has overseen several fine performances...Modern costumes point out what is probably the production's biggest weakness...Another weakness is the stylized movement...What is right with this production far outweighs what is questionable about it."
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"This 'Trojan Women' tends to be overwhelmed by these intrinsic difficulties of Euripides's text, exclaiming emotion more often than truly demonstrating it…When it's all said and done, you can't help but marvel at the tremendously tragic tale, but ‘The Trojan Women’ hasn't crossed the crucial line between jolting and heartbreaking…The end result isn't distasteful, but there's the disappointment of a missed opportunity. You want to feel devastated, but what you get hews closer to numbness."
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“Although Ellen McLaughlin’s new adaptation makes some changes to the Euripides original, it retains its power pertinent for our own time in the wake of the refugee crisis. While at times callow, Anne Cecelia Haney’s production for The Bats is persuasive, potent and poignant. It also provides an excellent introduction to the plays that make up Greek tragedy for those who have not experienced them on stage.”
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"Though lovely, McLaughlin’s rich imagery becomes at times repetitive…The chorus’s constant repetition of each others’ words, grounded in distressing physical movement, diminish the emotional impact of the piece through sometimes overly frantic performances…The play at times becomes too oratory, as the increasing loudness feels jarring in the small space. However, this makes the moments of silence stand out, lending a meaningful juxtaposition to the play’s quieter monologues."
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"The young actors struggle against the demands of the semi-poetic dialogue and the incessant sorrow they must convey. But they're totally overwhelmed by the task. Not even when Andromache’s baby is torn from her arms does the production carry the emotional punch required. This 'Trojan Women' delivers its message; it fails, though, to deliver the goods."
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