The actors who make up greasy joan & company have not had an easy time. Founded a couple of years ago by graduates from the American Repertory Theatre Institute at Harvard University, this plucky troupe has moved from space to space, struggling to find an audience for its brand of accomplished but usually obscure classical theater.
So it was heartening to see a full opening-night house for William Brown’s worthwhile production of “Tiger at the Gates,” Christopher Fry’s 1955 adaptation of Jean Giraudoux’s 1935 play, “La Guerre de Troie N’Aura Pas Lieu (The Trojan War Will Not Happen).” The French novelist and dramatist crafted an antiwar parable based on the events — specifically the abduction of Helen from Greece — that immediately preceded the Trojan War. Written with Hitler and Mussolini on the rise, Giraudoux was noting that terrible conflict could have been averted, were it not for one man’s lie and a simple misunderstanding. Briefly popular in London and New York 40 years ago, this play is now rarely seen.
But it’s a show that mingles sex and politics, dangerous ideas and an amoral femme fatale . And in demonstrating that working people often die from the leisure classes’ ideological conceits, the play proved prophetic of many wars that were to follow.
Brown’s production is both intelligent and arresting, showcasing a pair of strong dramatic performances from Karm Kerwell and Gavin Witt as Hector and Ulysses, two guys who almost stop a war. There’s also able support from Loretta Rezos as Helen, and clever comic turns from James Asch as Ajax, a nasty militarist, and Christopher Tiffany as a war-mongering poet.
One wishes that Brown (an able director) had gone further conceptually. The fussy classical costumes are not necessary, the Hollywood music distracts, and some of the minor players are stilted and overblown. The production is at its best when it focuses on the modern applicability of classical issues of war and diplomacy — subjects always worth thoughtful contemplation.
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“Tiger at the Gates”
When: Through May 31
Where: Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St.
Phone: 773-761-8284
