Bursting on stage with a suitcase full of props, ‘An Iliad’ begins not with a bang, but with a song. The first portrayal of the Immortal Poet and the Muse has begun. The second the Poet begins speaking rather than singing, the audience is captivated. Beginning the ever so familiar story of the Trojan War, with recognizable snippets from Homer’s ‘The Iliad,’ the interplay between the Poet and the Muse is now underway.
The Poet weaves dialogue between the Muse’s often humorous physical motions, switching between the talented cast members for each new story segment. The audience is presented with a humorous yet tragic retelling of the arrival of the Grecian ships at Troy, the offense of Achilles at the hands of Agamemnon and the life and discussion of Hector and Andromache in Troy before the intermission.
The Muse brings their voiceless lines to life alongside the Poet’s storytelling in a manner that brings both laughter and grave seriousness to the audience as these tales are told. From dances to marches to outright chases in the latter half of the production, not one movement is not thoroughly planned out. This matches the precision in the vocal delivery of the Poet.
When the second half of the production begins, it does so on a more haunting note with the deaths of Patroclus and of Hector in close succession. And while there is laughter present during these scenes, especially the enactment of the chase between Hector and Achilles, the somber tone remains. The actors once again deliver in the tragic moments, bringing to life feelings of despair and heartbreak as well as grief and anger.
But the scenes where the audience remained the quietest were the ones at the end of the show: when King Priam confronts Achilles and begs for the return of Hector’s body, and when the Immortal Poet breaks down after recounting the death of Hector and the despair of Hecuba and Andromache, listing the many wars in human history.
The cast on stage from scene to scene never goes above three people. They bring these stories to the audience with the sheer power of their words and actions. Their props are simple, as is their setting. But it doesn’t change the way that the performance touches the viewers, as the performers give it their all on stage.
This show does not shy away from themes of war, and the ensuing pain, but it’s not a production that was written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare as an anti-war manifesto. Instead, it acts as an honest look at war itself, and the motivation behind it. The talented performers bring to life the pride of Achilles in his decision not to follow Agamemnon to battle. They spin the tale of Hector and how his pride kept him in the fight. They weave the story of Patroclus and his despair and triumph, and of Paris’ greed, and how those affected their motivations for the war they fought.
Above all, this show touches on humanity. Who a person is can be affected by the people and circumstances around them, and this production highlights that in a beautiful manner. The Immortal Poet and Muse are tired of telling this story repeatedly, but their audience is new every time, and there is always something to learn, so they will continue their painful and exhausted portrayal of these events until they’re no longer relevant.
Unfortunately, The School of the Arts wrapped up production on An Iliad on Feb. 1, but to keep up with their upcoming shows, check out our article about the Spring 2025 Noorda events.
