Troilus and Cressida

"Critic's Choice"


Union Tribune


Compass Theatre


September 9, 2008





"...It showcases some delectable acting" ... "And there's nothing like seeing Shakespeare in an intimate 49-seat house. “Troilus and Cressida” was Compass' first stab at Shakespeare, and let's hope it's the first of many."
-- Janice Steinberg, Union-Tribune

"...the feat of making this complex drama—the climactic battle scene between Greeks and Trojans included—with endless scene changes happen on such a tiny, low-tech stage is alone worth the price of admission. Most of the actors remain onstage throughout the play, often seated at the far edges awaiting their cue or changing a portion of their costume to indicate their next character."... "Like the many Greek plays in fine modern translations given during recent seasons at 6th@Penn (Compass Theatre’s predecessor), “Troilus and Cressida” helps fill in the gaps of our community’s and our own individual perceptions of theater history." -- Kenneth Herman, SanDiego.com

We hope you read the reviews in the Union-Tribune and on SanDiego.com. They are raves and we are very grateful for the hard work of cast and crew.

A dark, sexy, satirical drama of ambition versus reality that baffled scholars for centuries. Now it makes far too much sense!

EDITED BY WELTON JONES & GEORGE WEINBERG-HARTER
DIRECTED BY WELTON JONES
THU, FRI & SAT at 8PM • SUN at 2PM TICKETS $20-$23

Everybody in Shakespeare’s England knew Homer’s Greek epic The Iliad, with its mythic heroes hacking away at each other over the beautiful Helen. They also knew the sub-plot added by Chaucer, about Trojan Prince Troilus and the girl Cressida who became his lover with the help of her Uncle Pandarus, whose name became synonymous with “pimp.” In his Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare turned the tale into a sardonic burlesque: Helen is a jaded sophisticate; Achilles is a lazy sneak with a boyfriend; Ajax is a buffoon; Agamemnon, a windbag; Ulysses, a trickster; Meneleus, a cuckold.

Probably, the play was too dark, sinister and sexy for its time. The first known London production was in 1912. Yet scholars argue endlessly about this “problem play,” struggling to make Cressida a tart so that Troilus could be a hero. Only an era that nurtures Samuel Beckett and David Mamet, Paris Hilton and Truman Capote could finally embrace this steamy play, now seen as a masterful mix of sex, politics and ambition in a wild stew of styles from farce to tragedy.

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