Dress of Fire NYC Reviews and Tickets

66%

(38 Reviews)

Positive

45%

Mixed

37%

Negative

18%

Members say

Ambitious, Slow, Disappointing, Thought-provoking, Intelligent

About the Show

In this new drama, the Trojan War is seen through the eyes of the women forced to endure man's need for power: Queen Hecuba, Cassandra, and she whose face launched a thousand ships, Helen of Troy.

As the conflict rages around the walls of the city of Troy (whose dilemma strangely resembles that of our world today),each passionate character is as much preoccupied by her own personal drama as by the impending disaster that will sweep it all away. All their fates weave together as Helen of Troy weaves her loom.

Member Reviews (38)

Intelligent, Thought-provoking, Scattered, Ambitious, Political

See it if you are interested in contemporary takes on the Trojan War, that source for so many surviving classic Greek plays.

Don't see it if you are looking for either a classic Greek drama or a conventional modern play. Read more

Ambitious, Resonant, Slow, Thought-provoking

See it if We would not miss a play where Austin Pendleton is involved .Helen and Cassandra were well played. 13th St.Rep provides an intimate space.

Don't see it if One has to have a taste for War Stories. Sorry to say but the Trojan War has been "done" a bit better recently.

Critic Reviews (3)

"The visually superb production makes for a rather pleasurable experience even if one can’t keep track of everything, grows restless listening to long soliloquies, or is not so enamored of the genre...Director Ioan Ardelean’s staging consists of a thrilling series of tableaus, precisely choreographed movement sequences and well-acted exchanges that are all optically arresting...'Dress of Fire' is not that emotionally involving but its snappy theatricality is stimulating."
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"The entire cast delivers impressive performances despite obvious challenges presented by the material. Kethevan’s classical-style writing is dense, verbose, and semi-Shakespearean in tone, but the actors manage to keep us involved and sympathetic until the end...Though Kethevan’s attempt to raise questions about our basic human drives – both savage and noble – is intriguing, the play could benefit from a more cohesive structure."
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"One of the most surprisingly poignant plays I have seen...These actors' performances...each played their lines as if they were teaching morals lessons. They delivered their emotional words with the importance they deserved...A complete pleasure, but it is the type of play that relies 100% on its actors strength as an appeal...All vision comes from how the actors carry themselves and their words, of which the audience must invest in the moment...'Dress of Fire' asks you to listen and learn."
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