“War Music:” A modern Iliad at A.C.T.:

01Apr09

Soldiers

Achilles’ tale of love and war has been given a contemporary voice by the poet Christopher Logue. Tonight, A.C.T. is premiering an epic new work based on this modern translation of The Iliad, War Music. Beaver Bauer‘s costumes move the story dramatically, designed with a minimalist base upon which key details are added. The set by Daniel Ostling utilizes the same techniques. The actors all appear on stage in khaki cargo pants, but Gods appear in ornate gold masks, dawn awakes with a dance of watercolor silk, and Zeus presides in a boxer’s robe emblazoned with a bolt of lightning. Soldiers in metal helmets echo battles of the previous century and remind us that wars continue to be fought for dubious reasons. Still, love ain’t the worst of them.

This has been a challenging show to work on, but I’m looking forward to seeing the results on stage. It promises to be breath-taking.