A new play just about to finish up its run at Brown University is called The Greeks/The Murders, and apparently is inspired by numerous tragedies, revolving around the story of Helen and the House of Atreus:
The curtain rises on a group of Trojan and Greek women standing on a bare stage. Because the past is prologue to their present, they ask what caused the Trojan War. Was it the mother goddess who arose naked from Chaos and separated the earth from the sky as she danced? Or did the discord arise from Helen, the Greek woman abducted by the Trojan Paris? Was it she who caused the Greek ships with their sterns adorned in gold to plunder Troy? As these questions resonate with the audience, a battle sound is heard, and the stage becomes the ruined city of Troy.
This is how the fascinating play "The Greeks/The Murders," which debuted at the Stuart Theater Thursday night, literally sets the stage for an exploration of the conflicts that arise from the destructive nature of humanity. Using the Trojan War and its tragic aftermath as an analytical lens, the play powerfully addresses universally acknowledged and timeless issues relating to justice, revenge, human tragedy and the existence of evil. In doing so, it inspires contemplation and cathartic emotion in the best tradition of classical Greek theater.
Oh, I see: it's an adaptation of another play, simply called The Greeks, by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander...
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