Fringe Theatre: Girl on an Altar
Our experiences with fringe theatre in London, thus far, have presented what I would consider a full spectrum of possible theatre experiences. House of Shades, at the Almeida Theatre, featured some of the best writing, acting, and partner work that I’ve seen on stage. I walked out of that show feeling disgusted, moved and validated all at the same time, which is a testament to how well it handled the complicated and layered themes of family, death, and politics. Lift, at the Southwark Playhouse, had admirable intentions, but I started and ended the play confused, and left frustrated because I could tell that the cast were really passionate about themselves and whatever they belted about for an hour, but I definitely didn’t know what it was.
With those short reviews on the table, I felt that Girl on an Altar fell somewhere between the two. The show claimed to be a modern retelling of the first part of Aeschylus’s trilogy Oresteia. The play centers on Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, and her struggle to cope with the sacrificial death of her daughter Iphigenia at the hands of her husband, as an offering in exchange for a successful conquest of Troy and as a demonstration to Achilles the usurper of his power as figurehead of Greece. Girl on an Altar examines the fallout between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra after he returns from the ten-year conquest of Troy, expecting her to have put the death of Iphigenia behind her and welcome his triumphant return. The enduring bond between them still manifests in an intense sexual tension, even as her heart hardens toward him and his frustration with her mounts. This conflict of interest made for a couple interesting, if uncomfortable scenes, the best of which happened on the bed, the central point of action for most of the play (also symbolic of the altar which Iphigenia was sacrificed on). Agamemnon nearly convinces Clytemnestra to reunite with him physically for the first time in a decade, and she nearly gives in to the remnants of attraction she still has for him, but she cannot escape the memory of her daughter and ultimately forces him off, disgusted by her near submission. I thought the contrast between the physical intimacy that was happening on the surface and the emotional distance that was growing underneath made for a compelling scene that encapsulates fairly well what makes the story worth exploring.
However, I felt throughout that the direction in this staging consistently sabotaged itself. The cast was consistently impressive, very on-partner and demonstrating a real emotional connection to the actions of their characters. My biggest critique in this case is the choice to have the characters step out of the action and narrate sections of the plot directly to the audience, sometimes even mid-conversation. For me, this put the audience in a constant state of whiplash. There were multiple instances where the play was gaining immense momentum, especially in the cases where Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s spite for each other began to boil over, and then the tension would be broken by an inward turn from one of them, reminding the audience what the source of the hate was, which we were already aware of in most cases. For me, this directorial choice undermined a cast that clearly had the chops to carry the story to new heights, and bring the audience with them. This left me feeling as if Girl on an Altar was an opportunity missed, as opposed to an ancient tale brought into the modern era.
[now playing: Love, Hate, Love – Alice in Chains]
Theatre in London U of A 