The mythological Helen was deemed to be at the root of the Trojan War and ultimately its destruction, and in this retelling, Helen speaks for herself: having her moment to tell her own tale. The all female team at Sibyl Theatre present a feminist re-telling of the famous story with Helen, played by Catie Ridewood who also writes, at its centre.
A mortal woman of divine and mortal parentage, her father being Zeus, was known for being a legendary great beauty, yet from an early age this is clearly a curse rather than a blessing: being the object of desire for it seems most of the men she comes into contact with. It’s often hard to work out where these famous Greek myths intersect, and a great deal of research has gone into this production. We touch on the story of Theseus: after having slain the Minotaur, Theseus captures Helen when she is only a child and takes her away with him. One famous part of the Helen myth is of course that it is the Goddess Aphrodite who promises Helen as “the most beautiful woman in the world” to Paris, which is not mentioned in this retelling at all; perhaps because it’s from Helen’s point of view and she wasn’t present at that moment, but with Paris and Helen having ten years together it’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t have talked about it, so it is a little odd that this key part of the myth is left out.
The story at the centre of the whole piece is Helen and Paris falling in love. It’s quite beautifully done, taking you back to that moment of first falling in love with someone as you empathise with her. The long looks, the passionate desire, and forsaking all reason and logic to follow your heart. In some of the myths Helen is captured by Paris rather than willing, but this is not the version told here. The fact that she abandons her husband, her throne, her people and especially her children, does not make for a very sympathetic character overall; yet to have a ten year war blamed on your behaviour alone doesn’t really make sense. If there is blame, surely Paris and Helen were equally to blame. Yet it’s Helen that is viewed so incredibly negatively, and this is a point well made: going right back to Eve.
Showing Helen as a real woman with real human feelings makes it relatable, including her shame and guilt and sadness as she sees so many Trojan people killed in her name, and some of the descriptions are unflinchingly brutal. It is pointed out in the piece, supported by two other multi-rolling actors: Lorraine Yu and Sophia Mastrosavaki, that the 1000 ships launched against Troy from Sparta were using Helen as an excuse to wage a war they wanted anyway, which makes a great deal of logical sense, as Helen says: “don’t believe everything men tell you about the women they’re afraid of”. The balance of myths and Gods and Monsters with real human feelings sometimes works but sometimes is a little jarring, and while the piece flows beautifully in some places, in some it is a little laboured: the message feels a little heavy handed. Overall this a very interesting piece with Catie Ridewood giving a fierce and full performance as Helen at its centre, with a very powerful ending.
The Lantern Theatre, 25 May 2024
That Witch Helen runs 23-25 May 2024
Photo credit: Sybil Theatre
