By Matt Adams
Utah Shakespeare Festival’s An Iliad is a one-man-show retelling of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad. The modern day storyteller, known simply as The Poet, has witnessed centuries of war and—though reluctant—is compelled to once again tell the tale of the Trojan War to the audience. Through his expert narration, the stories of Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon unfold onstage.
The role of The Poet is excellently played by Brian Vaughn, USF veteran and current Artistic Director. In this role, Vaughn exhibits an impressive range. The Poet runs the gamut from casually conversational with the audience to formally reciting epic poetry. As he retells his story, he genuinely moves from moments of tenderness to anguish to intense rage to tearful sadness.
As a largely solo performer, Vaughn succeeds in filling the stage with his character and the theater with his voice. As The Poet, he portrays a myriad of characters, expertly using subtle changes in voice and physicality to create different personas. (Imagine a really good audiobook narrator, but in person, onstage, and right in front of you.)
Vaughn’s one companion onstage is The Muse played by Katie Fay Francis, who at times quietly encourages The Poet to continue his reluctant recitation. Francis also provides the sparse soundtrack for the production, aiding in the storytelling with ethereal vocals, violin, and soft percussion. Francis’s lovely voice and violin are a highlight of the show. While required to maintain a largely silent presence onstage, Francis displays discipline and commitment to the role and the story.
The story of the Trojan War is a familiar one and we often consider it with the comfortable distance of several centuries. An Iliad does not afford you this luxury, bringing the realities of war uncomfortably close. The script powerfully shows the characters as real people impacted by the events of the war. The effects of man’s basest attributes—selfishness, stubbornness, hate, rage, violence—are graphically told. The Poet tells his story specifically in a way to make it relevant and relatable to his modern audience.
The production features a minimal but effective set (scenery coordinator Nils Emerson). The setting is an unused stage, with a mixture of set elements seemingly from past productions in the background. The action of the play takes place in a space with a simple table and a short scaffold tower. The table and tower are used to represent various locations, and director Jason Spelbring’s blocking has Vaughn indefatigably climbing up and down and moving around the tower. A portable light stand with a bare bulb is used both as a prop and as a lighting element, lighting up to indicate pivotal moments. The lighting design by William C. Kirkham excellently moves the audience through a variety of moods. At times the house lights are up, fostering the conversational atmosphere between the Poet and the audience. At other times, intensely bright stage lights or a darkened stage with a solitary spotlight lend emphasis to the most powerful moments of the play.
To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about attending An Iliad. This is a different kind of play than what I usually seek out. Ancient Greek literature is not often my idea of entertainment (Homer’s The Iliad makes me think of less-than-entertaining high school English classes), and I was nervous that the single-performer aspect would fail to keep me engaged or that the show would be too “cerebral” to be enjoyable. Soon after the production started, I found that I had not needed to worry. This is a lively and riveting production, and the story is accessible and impactful. Vaughn is nigh superhuman in his role as The Poet. In promotional materials, Vaughn has stated that this role would “most likely be the most challenging thing [he has] ever done.” Any actor would be daunted by carrying an entire show on his or her own, but Vaughn succeeds in doing just that with this highly complex story.
The message of this play is a timely one, or perhaps I should say a timeless one. The realities of war are as relevant today as they were centuries ago, and unfortunately will likely still be relevant centuries from now. Good theater stays with you long after the performance ends, and at least for me, this has been the case with An Iliad. Don’t miss your chance to be impacted by this powerful piece.
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, based on Homer’s The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles
Randall L Jones Theater, 351 West Center Street, Cedar City, UT 84720
Select dates, July 12-October 13, 2018 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Tickets: $29-75
Utah Shakespeare Festival Facebook Page
An Iliad Facebook Event
I have studied and read the Iliad all of my life as a classicist. I have even read the original in university in the archaic 6th century Greek. But this performance was spell bounding and inspirational. I also had my doubts as to a one man performance but seldom was I so pleasantly surprised. I believe this performance was the star of all of 2018 theatre in Cedar City. I live in southern California, and hope that some one like the Getty Museum would entice this performance to come to their Greek theatre so more people could enjoy what we experienced!