Hecuba: Go see it right now!
S&B's production of Hecuba by Marina Carr, a modern retelling of the ancient Greek play by Euripides, is GREAT. I've seen quite a few plays on campus and this is by far my favorite. You have to go see it-- this weekend only!Here is some background you need to know: At the opening of the play, the Greeks, led by Agamemnon (James Wenz '18), are in the midst of sacking Troy, thus ending the decade-long Trojan War. A year earlier, Hector (the eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba and the future leader of Troy) and the famed Achilles, who was fighting for the Greeks, battled one-on-one. Achilles killed Hector and brutalized his body in front of all of Troy. Achilles then developed a soft spot for Polyxena (Clementine Quittner '19), the youngest daughter of King Priam and a sister of Hector, the man Achilles just murdered, and she had feelings for him as well, though they kept their love a secret from everyone, particularly from Queen Hecuba (Maya Blake '19).Back in the play's present day, the Greeks have just destroyed Troy after sneaking into the city within the treacherous Trojan Horse. It's worth noting that Cassandra (Athena O. Washburn '18), one of Queen Hecuba and King Priam's daughters, is an oracle and saw the whole thing coming, but no one believed her. Fortunately or unfortunately depending upon whom you ask, Paris, the Trojan prince who eloped with Helen and started the whole Trojan War, shoots Achilles in his famous Achilles heel, his one weak spot, killing him.The opening scene of the play is fantastic: Maya Blake and James Wenz both gave stunning performances as Queen Hecuba of Troy and King Agamemnon of Greece, respectively. Queen Hecuba has just lost everything: her kingdom, her husband King Priam, and all of her children save Cassandra (Athena O. Washburn), Polyxena (Clementine Quittner), and Polydorous (Jeremy Roth-Rose '20). Maya Blake portrays her hurt beautifully. James Wenz is also the perfect Agamemnon: thrilled by his victory, he is pompous and odious in the exact way that makes you root for him a little bit even when you know you shouldn't because he's technically the bad guy. Wenz as Agamemnon also dropped the f-bomb in the funniest ways, adding a bit of humor to otherwise very intense and emotional subject matter.The cast also includes Shannon Sotomayor '17 as Polymestor, a conflicted man to say the least (I don't want to give anything away), John Cameron Beck '18 as the supremely creepy and heartless Odysseus, Spencer Roth-Rose '17 as Nepotolemus, the late Achilles's son, and Tara Sharma '20 as both Andromache, Hector's widow, and Xenia, a servant.Sienna Vann '17's directing was incredible; I loved her use of space and the way she had the actors speak for each other in the third person. She touched on themes of confusion, identity, guilt, and love in Hecuba and made the play absolutely engrossing.The costume and set designs by Josh Cape '17 were also impeccable. Check out some pictures here.Seriously, Hecuba was great. You have to go see it if you can!It should be noted that there are graphic depictions of violence and death in the play. Just FYI. I don't want to give any spoilers away by including the actor's name, but the acting in the climactic death scene was so. Damn. Convincing. Bravo!!Go see it today at 2:00 p.m. in Leeds Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students (it's worth every penny). Reserve a ticket beforehand-- the audience was full last night when I saw it and it would seriously be a tragedy to miss this play! Image via