The Trojan War was an epic expression of human emotion, with countless moving parts and a cast of characters pushed to the edge of sanity by circumstance. Much the same could be said for Ong Keng Sen’s new production of Trojan Women. This is what happens when a collaborative project brings together people at the top of their artistic game. Director, performers, writer, designers, composers, musicians: there are no weak links here.  

The violence that precedes Euripides’ Greek tragedy (namely ten years of war, followed by a brief moment of victory then the slaying of all Troy’s men and boys) leaves behind a slew of broken women with little, if nothing, to live for. Dressed in white and clutching blood-red balls of wool, an eight-strong chorus fills the entire theatre with pain and sorrow. The main players (Hecuba, Cassandra, Menelaus, Helen et al) each wrestle with their situations, and there are no winners here; even the victors are empty shells.  

Every drop of emotion is wrung out as they sing, backed by a stirring live score and surrounded by incredible video imagery of sea, sky and fire projected onto a large, imposing structure. But although everything about National Changgeuk Company Of Korea’s production is big (voices, characters, set, talent), its central premise of human frailty, the need for love, the sadness of grief, and hopelessness of war is never lost.  

Trojan Women, Festival Theatre, 10 & 11 August, 7.30pm.