Troilus and Cressida
Tickets from $0 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
The last time “Troilus and Cressida” was presented by Shakespeare in the Park was 1995, and after seeing this summer’s revival, helmed with customary skill by Daniel Sullivan, you’ll both understand why -- and question the decision.
It’s a paradox, much like Shakespeare’s play: a three-hour epic which oddly marries a well-known central section of the Trojan War (the battle been Trojan hero Hector and Greek hero Achilles) with the unhappy fates of the young title characters, Troilus, a noble, love-struck, overly sensitive prince (superbly played by handsome newcomer Andrew Burnap), and the feisty but immature Cressida (the superb Isemnia Mendes).
If you’re expecting a happy ending of any sort, prepare to be disappointed. The battle ends badly for more than one character, the lovers are forever (and bitterly) parted, and, unlike in many of the Bard’s “tragedies,” there’s little moral lesson to be learned. In the long run (pun intended), “Troilus and Cressida” is not a work with great emotional resonance, but Sullivan’s extremely cogent, beautifully acted production never fails to involve us.
Much of the credit is due to the large cast, as practically each performer has been ideally chosen for his or her role. Foremost is the great John Glover as Cressida’s lecherous uncle Pandarus, who is both hilariously funny and ultimately sad as he meddles in his niece’s love affair (and clearly because he’s besotted by Troilus). Bill Heck is a heck of a Hector, terrifying in his fervor, magnanimous in his mercy. Tala Ashe is suitably stunning as the fiery-tongued Helen of Troy, while Nneka Orafor is thoroughly convincing as the “mad” prophetess Cassandra.
On the Trojan side of the fence: Corey Stoll is deliciously sly as Ulysses (yes, that Ulysses), master of manipulating both his own countrymen and his enemies; John Douglas Thompson and Edward James Hyland are both suitably commanding as military giants Agamemnon and Nestor; Louis Cancelmi (who joined the production on short notice, replacing the injured David Harbour) is excellent as the prideful Achilles, here an avowed bisexual clearly besotted by the prancing Patroclus (an effective Tom Peckinka); Alex Breaux is suitably dumber-than-dirt as the hunky Ajax; Zach Appelman is a delectably duplicitous Diomedes (the seeming protector of Cressida, who wants to guard her body in the most carnal way); and Max Casella milks the show’s only comic role, the cynical Therasites, for laughs that aren’t even in the script.
Sullivan and his set/costume designer David Zinn have settled on a very minimal set (the better for the battle sequences), yet also make minimal use of the park setting; there are no fancy magic tricks here. And while the modern dress costumes and 21st-century props never feel completely organic, they eventually cease to matter much. Ironically, for a theatrical work relatively few people have seen, or probably wanted to see, the play truly is the thing.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://publictheater.org/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/SITP/troilusandcressida
Cast
Zach Appelman, Tala Ashe, Alex Breaux, Andrew Burnap, Max Casella, Sanjit De Silva, John Glover, David Harbour, Bill Heck, Edward James Hyland, Maurice Jones, Ismenia Mendes, Nneka Okafor, Tom Pecinka, Miguel Perez, Corey Stoll, John Douglas Thompson
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/19/2016
Closing 8/14/2016
Box Office
212-539-8500
Theatre Info
Delacorte Theater
Central Park (81st St & CPW or 79th St & Fifth Av)
New York, NY
Map
Comments
Sign up for our newsletter !