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Children of Heracles by 6th @ Penn Theatre 
What is worth going to war over, what price are we willing
to pay, and how should we treat our enemies once they are captured? These are
questions Americans have been debating in earnest due to recent events in
Afghanistan and, in this year, especially in Iraq. But of course they are not
new questions. The populace of democratic nations have been asking themselves
these same questions for more than 2,500 years. Which is why the Greek
playwright Euripides’ Children of Heracles is just as relevant and
effective now as it was in Athens in the midst of the Peloponnesian War.
6th @ Penn Theatre, which has become a local leader in the revival of Greek tragedies, is currently hosting the world premiere of Marianne McDonald’s new translation of this classic. McDonald has translated several Greek plays, including The Old Globe’s 2000 production of Euripides’ The Trojan Woman. Her Children of Heracles is a tight and eloquent translation that moves along briskly, switching between pain and victory, comedy and tragedy from one second to the next, compelling from start to finish for a show that ends up seeming even briefer than it is (the runtime is less than ninety minutes with no intermission). The story is set in Athens just shortly after the death of the famous hero Heracles (a.k.a. Hercules). His children (and therefore the grandchildren of Zeus himself) have taken shelter in the temple of Zeus while a messenger from the rival city of Argos seeks to bring them back for certain death at the hands of the king of Argos who believes the children will be his undoing if they are allowed to live. The daughter, Macaria (Shannon Partrick), is in the care of Heracles’ mother Alcmena (Rhona Gold). The two sons, played by Kevin Koppman-Gue and Caleb Sharp, are being protected by Heracles’ old right-hand man, Iolaos (Jack Banning). When the messenger/bounty hunter from Argos, Copreus (John Padilla), confronts them in the temple, the King of Athens (Rhys Greene) must decide whether to do the moral thing and risk a war with Argos that could destroy his city and cause a revolt among Athenians, or turn over the children to their would-be executioner. When he chooses to protect the children, another dilemma soon arises when an oracle determines that the gods require a child sacrifice in order for Athens to win the war. Before it’s over, the tables have turned, and it is the frightened refugees who hold the life of the coldly remorseless King of Argos (Dale Morris) in their hands as a prisoner of war. Under Delicia Turner-Sonnenberg’s skillful direction, the cast captured the various emotions and moral quandaries exceptionally well, infusing the production with the individual humanness that is so crucial to its success. Jack Banning is superb as the elderly Iolaos – especially in the hilarious scene between him and the Athenian messenger (Diep Huynh) as he enthusiastically demands to join the fray against Argos and the messenger wonders out loud whether or not that’s such a good idea. Revenge flares in the eyes of Rhona Gold as she demands vengeance on the King of Argos, captivating with her charismatic stage presence. John Padilla and Dale Morris chillingly create the heartless Argonians. The children do a terrific job as the innocents facing the very real prospect of death. Shannon Partrick, as the young daughter, gives a gifted performance as she makes the impassioned case for her own sacrifice to the gods, putting death and war in perspective for the surviving adults like nothing else. And the chorus, as onlookers, participants, and occasionally singers (the mystical music coordinated by Celeste Innocenti), artfully presents us with the many voices of the populace as they, like we, struggle to decide what is right and what is wrong when the answers are not always clear.Production runs through August 24, 2003.
~ Cast ~
Iolaos: Jack Banning Copreus, Messenger of Eurystheus: John Padilla Demophon, son of Theseus, King of Athens: Rhys Green Macaria, daughter of Heracles: Shannon Partrick Alcmena, mother of Heracles: Rhona Gold Servant: Diep Huynh Eurystheus, King of Argos: Dale Morris Sons of Heracles: Michael Cullen Kevin Koppman-Gue Caleb Sharp Chorus: Ken Bryant George Soete Doug Hoehn Celeste Innocenti Anahid Shahrik |