Tantalus

Synopsis

Tantalus is a modern theatrical epic, which for the first time, tells the whole story of The Trojan War. Though the roots of the story lie in a war nearly three thousand years ago, Barton's great chronicle for the stage is a sequence of entirely new plays which recreates in vividly contemporary terms the mythical sweep of this powerful epic of war, family and destiny. Featuring some of the most timeless characters in Greek mythology, including the beautiful Helen, the angry Achilles, the prophesying Cassandra, the great commander Agamemnon and of course the Trojan Horse itself, Barton's monumental piece of work seizes the power and potency of the Greek myths, whilst creating something entirely modern. Tantalus will be performed in three parts: The Outbreak of War; The War, and The Homecoming.

Our Review:

26 March 2001

This cycle of plays took ten years to write, six months to rehearse and is around nine hours in the playing, making it a theatrical event of truly epic proportions.

The only tragedy is that it nearly didn't happen, only eventually being achieved with a wealth of American funding and the collective vision of the Denver Center Theatre Company, Royal Shakespeare Company, writer John Barton and directors Peter Hall and his son, Edward Hall.

But for a piece set so firmly on the Trojan Wars, Tantalus features an international team, with an Anglo-American cast, led by the outstanding actor Greg Hicks, Greek designer Dionysis Fotopoulos, Irish composer Mick Sands, Broadway choreographer Donald McKayle and Japanese lighting designer Sumio Yoshii.

The piece splits into nine individual acts, divided into three plays, The Outbreak of War, The War and The Homecomings, which can be viewed over separate evenin...

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